A Man's World
by Asphalt Love
Summary: AU. Hinata has always lived a sheltered life, but due to unforeseen circumstances that puts her life in danger, she is sent to a boarding school disguised as a boy, which is the least of her worries when her new roommate is none other than Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuhina and other pairings.
1. The Distinction between Men and Women

**Man's World  
**by Asphalt Love

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**Note to Readers Pre-revision (before 6/1/11): **Please skip this note if you are a new reader. For those who have read the original fic before the revision, I highly advise rereading the whole fic from the beginning because there have been some changes both minor and major. Thank you all for being patient with me!

**Setting**: AU, similar to the original Naruto world except no one is a ninja. The story will still parallel a good amount of what happens in the original story, but hardly to a tee. In this story, Hinata is roughly 15 years old and because I started this story before Shippuden came out, there will be no appearances by characters from the post-timeskip era. It's definitely a more "traditional" setting, but with many modern conveniences.

**POVs:** This story will mainly be from Hinata's POV in the beginning, but as the story moves along we'll start to get to see the POVs of other characters.

**Rating**: T for language, disturbing images and mature content/topics.

**Reviewing:** I appreciate all reviews, so please don't hesitate to drop a comment after you're done with a chapter! Because this story is really long, it's easy for me to make mistakes (especially formatting issues) so let me know if you run into any glaring mistakes. Other than that, I would also like to hear what everyone thinks, whether they like the story or not and etc. Although I usually don't reply to reviews, I do read all of them. If you have a question, please do ask and I will answer it by replying or in the next chapter as under an A/N.

**The Official Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. (Does this even need to be written? Well, this is the only time I'll mention it)

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**Chapter 1 The Distinction between Men and Women**

Hinata sat solemnly on the wooden swing that hung from the great cherry tree in her garden, bored and listless within the great Hyuuga estate. With nowhere to go and nothing to do, she simply stared blankly at the quiet stillness of her surroundings. The sounds of birds chirping could be heard from afar, and Hinata strained her neck to catch a glimpse of wings, but nothing could be seen past the great white walls that seemed to confine her life.

At only fifteen years old, Hinata knew nothing of the world that was hidden behind the oppressive barricade that guarded her home. A melancholy princess locked in her castle; no one would have expected an intense desire burning behind her fragile exterior. Behind the complacent serenity of her lavender-tinted white eyes was a chaotic web of thoughts and emotions waging war against one another; desire clashed with duty, and dreams laid scattered and broken under fate's might.

But in a world where time crawled and one day could hardly be distinguished from the next, Hinata found her escape from her world by imagining herself in another. Hinata spent most of her free time reading. When she wasn't being tutored or doing menial tasks around the house, she absorbed the rest of her time by diving into the different realities books could offer.

Quiet and unobtrusive, the heiress of the mighty Hyuuga clan could always be found tucked away in a small corner of the Hyuuga library reading or daydreaming in the garden. Her mind often wandered to distant lands filled with magic and adventure. She imagined herself the heroine in the novels she'd read; sometimes she would be fighting off diabolical monsters or unraveling evil plots, and at others, she would be falling in love with a dashing prince.

She loved romance novels and fairy tales (those being the only stories that centered on a heroine instead of a hero). Unfortunately, in a household as strict and serious as the Hyuuga, not many of these stories could be found. Although Hinata did not discriminate against reading any sort of book, reading a thick volume on the history of the country was not quite as entertaining as one on epic journeys filled with deadly traps and treasures galore.

Hinata longed to be a heroine in an exciting story, but she was not completely insensible. She was well acquainted with her predestined role as the heiress. When she was to come of age, her father was going to arrange for her to marry a suitable man and she would spend the rest of her life waiting upon him. Hinata hated the thought of it, but there was no point in arguing with her father; his word was law. She tried not to think about her future too often and when she did, she tried to be as optimistic as possible.

Hinata respected her father and any decision he made had to be the right one. After all, it wasn't her place to disobey or question him who exceeded her by many years and was the leader of the clan. She loved him, regardless of the minimal affection and attention he showed her.

But oftentimes, her curiosity got the better of her. However, she learned the hard way that her desires often led to punishment. Once and only once, Hinata, angry at her father for scolding her, had run away from home, but as a result, her kind uncle Hizashi's life was taken.

Since that day the guilt remained with her, pinching her conscience whenever she wanted to object to her father's commands. Because of that incident, Hinata shackled and chained away her own selfish desires, but at times, in the droughts of loneliness that accompanied particularly long days, it growled hungrily. And no matter how loud the tantrums she threw were within the safety of her own head, Hinata fully understood that there were some things in the world that just couldn't be changed.

"Hinata-sama," a voice interrupted her quiet musings.

Hinata blinked a few times, her vision unfocused, as she gazed at the pondering face of her cousin Neji, the son of the precious uncle whose death lay heavy upon her head. Neji stood at the door way, one hand resting on the side of the opened screen.

"Neji-niisan," she said, her cheeks flushing lightly from being caught off guard.

"You shouldn't sit outside in the sun all afternoon, it's not good for you," he said with a sigh.

Neji was about a year older than her and the pride of the Hyuuga clan. He was a prodigy, a genius far advanced for his age, and the one who was the most suited to lead the clan. But progeny dictated who inherited what, and because Hinata's father was the first born and Hinata, his first born child, Neji was robbed of the position his talent deserved.

Hinata's mother had died a long time ago. She vaguely remembered the funeral and her own heavy sobs, but time had a way of making even the most important moments in one's life fragmented and blurry. She remembered holding her father's rough hand and the smell of incense burning, but not much remained of her memory of it other than those small pieces.

Even though many years had passed since her mother's passing, her father remained faithful to her memory, refusing to take a new wife or even a mistress which was rather common in other prominent households of high rank. Hinata knew her father cared for her, but she also knew he was disappointed by her lack of talent. In fact, her younger sister was much more suited to inherit the Hyuuga clan than she was, but as with such traditional families, inheritance was only for the eldest.

Seeing that Neji was frowning impatiently, she quickly jumped to her feet, her legs wobbling from sitting for so long and followed him back inside the ancient Japanese castle that was her home. Neji, satisfied that she had taken his advice, walked off without waiting for her.

She planned to follow him back to the main hall, but after hearing two familiar voices arguing as she passed her father's study, she stopped to listen. Although she knew she would be in trouble if she was caught eavesdropping, she was drawn in by the anger prominent in her father's voice. Her father rarely ever raised his voice, so Hinata was curious as to what could be causing the outburst.

"I won't allow it!" Hiashi, her father, boomed.

"I'm afraid there is no way around it Hiashi-sama," was the calm reply of a voice she recognized as Hiroki, a distant relative and her father's loyal subject. "Hinata-sama will be in danger –the whole clan will be in danger if she stays here," he added in a hushed whisper, but Hinata could still make out the words. Although spoken quietly, Hinata's heart rattled in shock at the meaning.

"There is no way I'm sending my eldest daughter away!"

"It's inevitable, I'm afraid. However, I have a plan. If I'm not mistaken, your nephew Neji is returning to his boarding school since the break is almost over right?" Hiroki asked.

"That is correct," her father answered, sounding quite displeased with where the conversation was headed.

"Perhaps she could go with him," he suggested, as if it was a simple solution to their problem.

"Ridiculous!" she could hear her father bellow. "How is that supposed to keep her from danger? She's practically walking right into it!"

"Hear me out," Hiroki said trying to calm the angry Hyuuga head down. "I understand that Hinata-sama will be easily recognized if she goes as she is. Not to mention, there are all sorts of dangers out there in the world for a young and timid girl such as herself. But, perhaps…" Hiroki said, hesitating for a moment.

"Perhaps what?"

"Perhaps she was to go under a disguise of some sort? I believe Hinata-sama, as well as the clan's, safety can be assured if we plan this carefully. After all, the best place to hide a tree is in a forest."

"Hmph, I don't understand. Elaborate," Hiashi ordered.

"The best hiding place for a person would be in a crowd would it not? Of course, as a Hyuuga, it is not so easily accomplished because of our distinctive eyes, but what if she was to completely change her identity? I propose that Hinata-sama go to this school under a male disguise. If she changes her name as well as her appearance, no one would believe she was the heiress they sought."

"That plan sounds rather farfetched, how could you guarantee they won't find out? It's too risky," Hiashi replied, not quite swayed by this proposal.

"It's riskier to leave her here. Of course, if she goes, Neji as well as the school will be able to protect her. The school is completely safe and tends to be closed to outsiders."

Hinata listened with her ear practically pressed against the crack in the door. Her heart trembled in part from fear of being caught eavesdropping on such a serious conversation, but also from excitement. She didn't completely understand the situation, but she could feel that something big was going to happen.

Would her father really let her disguise as a boy at Neji's boarding school? The idea seemed as outrageous to her father as it did to her. The danger they both spoke of had no effect on her. Ever since she was a child, her father had warned her of all the bad people out there who wanted to hurt her and those words plagued her with shadowy nightmares when she was younger, but as the years wore on and nothing happened, she ceased to be afraid.

Instead, she was much more interested in attending Neji's school. She had often begged Neji to tell her about his school and it had never occurred to her in a million years that she would one day get the chance to attend with him. Hinata was barely paying attention as her mind began to wander, recollecting the countless fantasies she had about attending school and how wonderful it would all be.

"Hinata-sama," Neji called from behind her. Hinata gave a startled yelp of surprise and jumped out of his way automatically. Realizing that the two men had heard her voice she quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late.

"Hinata!" her father whipped open the traditional panel doors. He glared at her meek form, shocked and angry to see his daughter eavesdropping.

"I'm sorry I di-didn't mean to!" she stammered. "I'm sorry," she said again, bowing deeply.

"It's alright Hiashi-sama, this will save a lot of explaining," Hiroki told him, also arriving to the doorway.

"Is something wrong?" Neji asked.

"Why don't you two kids take a seat," her father sighed, deepening the lines of worry and age etched onto his forehead. He invited them inside.

Neji exchanged a quick questioning glance with Hinata before taking a seat next to her.

"Hinata as you know you are very important to the clan because you are the heir, and as the heir, your safety is a top priority. Due to some recent suspicious activities as well as some information that we have come by, Hiroki believes you will not be safe if you remain here. I'm afraid I cannot reveal to you anymore than that, but it has to do with a dangerous enemy. Although I would prefer if you stayed under the clan's protection, it seems that at this rate, it is inevitable that you should leave. If you stay here you might jeopardize your own as well as the rest of the clan members' safety; therefore, we have decided that it would be best if you were to leave for awhile."

Hinata gaped at her father, stunned. She didn't expect him to be serious in sending her away. Perhaps she really was in danger for someone as conservative as her father to participate in such an extraordinary scheme.

"Where do you suggest Hinata-sama go?" Neji asked.

"Neji, I am going to have to place a heavy burden upon your shoulders," Hiashi said direly. "We plan to send Hinata to your school disguised as a male."

"I don't believe I understand," Neji said, glancing with confusion at Hinata, but she quickly averted her eyes.

"There is nothing to understand," Hiashi said impatiently.

"What Hiashi-sama is trying to say is that we believe that your school is the best place to hide Hinata-sama," Hiroki interjected. "No one would expect the Hyuuga heiress to be in disguised as a normal male student. Besides, the security towards outsiders is high at Konoha Academy, which adds another layer of protection."

Neji furrowed his brow; he did not look pleased at this information. Meanwhile Hinata was trying her best to keep her expression in check. Fear, embarrassment, anxiety and utter amazement were fighting to burst forth all at once and it was all she could do to stop herself from trembling with the overflow of emotion.

"And the disguise… I'm not quite sure I follow as far as _that's_ concerned," Neji's frown deepened. He seemed to dislike the idea more than her father did.

"Since boys and girls are both separated on the school grounds it will be difficult for you to protect Hinata-sama if you do not have access to her at all times," Hiroki responded calmly.

"Besides, as the heiress, I will not have Hinata socializing with other girls her age; they will be a terrible influence for her," Hiashi retorted.

Hinata knew her father didn't like it when she made female friends, he always complained that having female friends would make her mentally soft. Of course, having no friends didn't help Hinata much either.

Hinata saw that Neji was about to argue back, but he knew better than to question the head of the clan, so he stopped himself.

"I will do my best to protect Hinata-sama with my life," Neji replied instead, his words were heavy with promise.

Hinata looked at her cousin in surprise. She could never understand why Neji would do so much for her when she knew that her existence meant his would be miserable.

"I will also do my best," Hinata said in her most formal tone as she bowed her head.

"So it is decided then. I'll send up some servants to help you pack, the two of you will be leaving for the road as soon as the arrangements are made," Hiashi told them both before dismissing them.

The two youths stood outside in the hallway, still dazed over what had occurred. As soon as they were left alone, Hinata had to take a deep breath. She was simply overjoyed and couldn't help smiling to herself while Neji looked deep in thought at the new change of plans.

"I can't believe I'm going to be dressing up as a boy," Hinata said with a childish grin. Usually she wasn't so friendly with Neji, but after what had just taken place, she had no room in her head to remember that she was intimidated by her own cousin.

"Actually, the more worrisome thing is that you will have to share a room with another boy. Hiashi-sama would be displeased when he finds out that it's two boys to a room, but hopefully they will let you stay with me," Neji, as always, looked at the situation logically and practically.

"Really?" Hinata asked breaking her usually quiet nature. She immediately caught herself and lowered her voice, "I-I have to share a room?" she blushed.

Because Hinata had spent most of her life shielded from the rest of the world, she had never known any sort of real relationship with anyone. Only a small portion of her fears rested in sharing a room with a boy while the majority of it was in sharing a room with a complete stranger. Hinata, who has rarely ever seen others that were not of the Hyuuga bloodline, was naturally frightened of strangers.

"Those are the rules," Neji told her with an amused smirk.

Hinata stared at him, stunned that her prudish cousin was actually making fun of her. Hinata could not even recall the last time she heard him _laugh_ and she could count his smiles on one hand.

Not noticing her amazement, Neji left her behind to return to his own daily routine. She watched him go, remorseful of their past. Even with the sudden semblance of friendliness that appeared, she didn't believe anything could ever repair the vast breach between them.

Hinata, not wanting to brood on the past after such a miraculous future had been decided on, casted her dim thoughts away and followed one of the female servants to her room to pack.

"Hinata-sama, are you excited to be going?" the female servant, one of the lower members of the Hyuuga hierarchy, asked with a kind smile.

"Yes," she replied with a happy smile of her own.

There were a lot of preparations to be made before she would head out into the world with Neji. She was worried about the male disguise, but she figured it would be fun to practice acting _male_. After all, how hard could it be?

The next few days flew by quickly as Hinata struggled to cram all the knowledge about school life into her head, particularly the knowledge that concerned relocating to an all boys dormitory. What alarmed Hinata the most was the unsaid protocols and etiquette within the school culture she wasn't familiar with. For one, she was not aware that most of the male population was practically no better than animals in their manners. It took Hinata a few hours to recover from the shock of learning that some boys urinated _outside_ in a _bush_ or some unsuspecting corner. Neji warned her that such displays weren't altogether uncommon when boys were left to themselves.

She was also acquainted with the concept of the urinal, but upon seeing her horror, Neji quickly reassured her that she would have her own bathroom with her room and to _never_ try her luck with a public bathroom.

He also warned her of the open displays of affection that people showed each other which was all but extinct to the Hyuuga. There were so many foreign concepts that Neji related to her that Hinata had to write them all down in order to keep from forgetting any.

And when the day finally came for her to depart, she couldn't sleep at all due to nervousness. It took the most severe glare from her father for her to find the will to stomach any of her breakfast.

"You will be leaving shortly, I hope you will not cause any trouble abroad," her father said sternly.

"H-Hai."

"Do not forget that your new name is Hikaru. It would be disastrous if you should reveal your real name," he added.

"I-I won't forget," Hinata was having trouble getting any words past what felt like a frog in her throat.

"And remember to always refer to Neji as your older brother," he said. "Once you leave, you're in the eyes of the public. Everything you say and do will reflect upon the Hyuuga name, do you understand?" he asked gravely.

"I u-understand."

"Also," her younger sister Hanabi who had been quietly observing her sister chimed in, "don't stutter so much, you're making _me_ nervous and I'm not even going anywhere," she said.

Hinata said nothing, just nodded with a weak smile at her sister, knowing full well that if she tried to answer, she would end up tripping over her words. Hanabi shrugged, probably wondering how in the world the two possibly could be related, as she polished off the rest of her rice bowl.

After breakfast (Neji took his meals alone), the two quickly departed, riding in a carriage drawn by horses through the countryside. She glanced at Neji who had his arms folded and his eyes closed. She watched him, amazed that he could fall asleep.

But her nervous excitement soon dulled as an uneventful hour rolled by. Bored, she opened a slit in the window and peered out at the valley unfolding before her eyes. She gaped in awe for she had never seen anything so gorgeous in her life. There was so much life and mystery out there, more than she could have ever imagined. Wildflowers grew everywhere and a strong breeze blowing made the grassy meadow shimmer like flowing water. Hinata couldn't help but let out a small gasp of excitement as she saw a few cows grazing behind a fence.

"Put your head back in, someone might see you," Neji reproached her.

"Sorry," she replied taking her head out the window sheepishly.

"If you're going to be a man, act like one."

Hinata flushed as she always did when she was scolded. She looked down at the unfamiliar garments she was wearing. At home she often wore kimonos, only occasionally wearing pants when she knew her father was away. Her father had sent for her Neji's tailor to make her a several male outfits, all of which were in the neutral tones and colors that the Hyuuga favored. Although any comfort of the loose fitted clothing was lost by the suffocating bandages that hid her chest.

However, Hinata's main concern was her voice. She had practiced until her throat was sore to master a lower intonation, but it was impossible to reach a low enough range to meet the standards of even a young prepubescent boy. Neji, after seeing her desperate attempts, assured her that it wasn't at all necessary to exert herself in that domain since there were plenty of "feminine" men at their school to hide herself amongst. As long as she didn't try to draw attention to herself by acting too unnatural, she would be fine.

As for her hair, Hinata had grown out her old hairstyle as well as her bangs in order to appear more masculine, and also to closer resemble Neji. But still worried, she kept bothering him over and over again, asking him for advice on her hair; and once again, he assured her that as long as she didn't make a point in being self-conscious about it, no one would question her gender.

Hinata, after another hour or so, dozed off to the steady sound of the horses' footsteps. When she finally awoke again, with a gentle tap from Neji, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest to see the school right in front of her eyes.

She had always wondered what Neji's school looked like. She tried asking him, but usually he felt it was too burdensome a task to explain and now she knew why.

The school was humongous. She had always pictured it as one building but instead there were multiple buildings. In fact, Hinata thought, it looked more like a small town than a school. The buildings were also in a similar Japanese traditional style like that of her home, but with a more modern flair.

"Th-this… is your school?" Hinata asked, barely managing to get the words out. She continued to stare, wide-eyed in disbelief.

"The one and only. Now, when we arrive, make sure to not wander off. As you can see, it is very easy to get lost."

The two arrived at the gate of the school, where the guards checked for their identification before letting them pass. Hinata was disappointed that like her home, this school too also had white walls surrounding it. As they went in, she peeked curiously out the window. It was quite noisy with restaurants, shops and as well as young students walking about and chatting animatedly.

"Hinata-sama," Neji said reprimanding her for sticking her head out the window again.

"Hai!" Hinata squeaked, shutting the curtain quickly and turning to face forward in her seat.

After awhile, they finally arrived to the boys' dormitory. As Hinata stepped out, she took in a breath of fresh air. Her whole body was restless from the long ride and she was finally allowed to stretch out her stiff limbs. The two entered a rather large building and Hinata couldn't help but gape at the boys moving to and fro, carrying their own luggage with them. As they entered the building, a rather bored looking teenager of probably around 17, was sitting at a large desk.

"Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Hikaru," Neji told him, walking up to the desk. Hinata meekly followed, quite unsure of what to do with her eyes. She felt uncomfortable with meeting anyone's eyes, even though that was the first thing anyone noticed when looking at her.

"You are assigned to room number 102, and you are assigned to room 107," the boy at the desk told the two Hyuuga.

"There must be a mistake. Are you sure we are in different rooms?" Neji asked, his temper already flaring.

"No mistake," he droned mockingly.

"Are you sure there is no way to get us a room together?" Neji asked. Although he seemed calm, she could tell that underneath that façade, he was ready to resort to violence if need be to get his way.

"I'm very sorry but it is first-come-first-served, luckily there are two openings on the same floor so you two should be _glad_," he said. Underneath his breath, Hinata could hear him say, "Rich brats."

"How dare you-!"

"Neji nii-san!" Hinata hissed at him quietly making him stop in his tracks.

"Fine, I'll go check it out," Neji said through clenched teeth. He threw a menacing glare at the desk boy and grabbed his bags and left. Hinata heard him mutter something along the lines of, "Lucky, I'll show you lucky you disgusting…"

Hinata picked up her bags and carried them out the door following her cousin after meekly apologizing to the boy at the desk. Neji dropped off his bags since his roommate hadn't arrived yet to help Hinata unpack.

"It's okay Neji-niisan I can do it myself," she said but was happy that he offered. "Like you said I'm supposed to be a man," she told her trying her best "man" voice.

"I guess…" he said hesitantly. "Call me immediately if you need anything. I will just be down the hallway," he gave her one last assessing look before returning to his own room.

Hinata trudged into her room, it was a simple one. There was a bedroom, unfortunately only one with two beds on opposite sides of the wall. Connecting to the main bedroom were doors leading to a study as well as a bathroom, each on the respective side of the beds. Hinata was relieved, for a moment she thought she might've had to share a bathroom with her roommate. Finally, there was a door that was directly parallel to the one leading into the room that apparently led her outside.

She didn't quite understand why the bedroom was the first room upon entering or why they didn't have separate bedrooms instead of separate studies, but decided it pointless to question the room's layout.

Picking out one of the beds at random, she dropped down onto it with a deep sigh. Her arrival had happened so quickly that she barely had time to absorb the situation. Everything still felt incredibly surreal, as if someone had plucked her from one storyline and dropped her into another.

"That's my bed," an annoyed voice called out sharply.

Hinata immediately sat up, startled to see a strange boy standing at the door way. He looked back at her with just as much surprise.

"I-I'm sorry, I'll get up," she said upon realizing that he was probably her new roommate.

The last thing she wanted to do was upset the person she would have to share her room with. She stood up immediately, making sure to smooth any wrinkles that she had made on his bed.

"…What are you doing?"

"Oh did you–um–sorry," she said fumbling over what to do.

She stopped touching his bed and retreated to the opposite bed while the boy just watched her with a confused expression. His hair was jet black and in a style that Hinata could only call "purposely messy"; his eyes as well, were as black as coal and were fixed upon her intently. Hinata was unnerved by the way he stared at her; as if he could see right through her disguise. She also found the blatant staring quite rude, but she was used to it since she was a Hyuuga.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I should introduce myself. My name is Hikaru, what's yours?" she

said with a friendly smile.

He didn't smile back.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he said slowly, looking at her warily.

Hinata knew without a second look that this Uchiha Sasuke was someone who people would consider "handsome". In many ways, he reminded her of Neji; he was tall; he had that slender yet muscular build; his face was a perfect synthesis of sharp and masculine features and a certain vulnerable softness that one could almost call him "beautiful".

However, Hinata, having absolutely no one to compare Sasuke to except for the other Hyuuga held no particular interest in his looks. What worried her was not her interest in him, but his interest in her. Ever since he came into the room, he had been staring holes through her.

She could feel his eyes fixated on her back as she unpacked her clothes. Her heart pounded nervously in her chest as she tried to not be bothered by the invisible pressure emitted from his relentless gaze. But, she wondered in despair, did he already figure out that she was a girl? Was she really that obvious?

"I have a question."

Her heart sank in dread.

"Uh… y-yes?" she asked, trying to sound as manly as she could.

"You're a Hyuuga right?" he asked.

"That's right," she replied in feigned calmness. Her clan was renowned and maybe he recognized her? Though that seemed unlikely seeing as to how she rarely ever left her house.

"Your eyes are weird," he pointed out without censor.

She winced. Hinata was used to people thinking her eyes were peculiar, but she was never prepared for the comments people made about them. She was proud of her eyes yet on the flip side of the same coin, she was embarrassed that they made her the center of attention.

"Are you done packing?" she asked him, changing the subject quickly.

"Yeah, I arrived yesterday. Someone else was supposed to be my roommate but he switched out at the last minute."

"Oh, that's too bad," Hinata said, giving her trunk one good shove into her closet.

"Not really."

"Well I'm sure I'm probably not any better..."

"Don't worry, he wasn't as pretty," she heard him say.

Her heart plummeted and she froze in mid-action, her face turning crimson red. At first, she wasn't sure she had heard him right. _Pretty_? She would've blushed twice as hard if she wasn't in a male disguise. Thankfully he couldn't see her face since she had gone to the bathroom to set down her towels. Maybe he was joking, she thought, because she certainly didn't think that _she_ was pretty.

"Do you like pretty men or something?" Hinata asked in an attempt to crack a joke, but regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth.

"No," she heard him snap coldly. She could practically see him glaring at her through the walls and she grimaced.

Hinata slowly edged out of the bathroom, trying her best to avoid Sasuke's undeterred gaze. She fought the blush from rising back to her cheeks. What was with this guy? Did he enjoy making fun of her or were all guys as strange as he was? She wondered if being called "pretty" was a compliment for guys. It didn't seem like it would be, but she also didn't know much about what went through a man's head. Neji did his best to explain how boys acted towards one another, but he never lectured her on compliments.

It was only the first ten minutes of her life in her new disguise and she was certain that she had already been figured out. She silently berated herself of being idiotic enough to make an enemy out of her own roommate. If there was someone at the school she needed to fool, it would be the person she would end up living with.

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**As always, please read and review! I appreciate all comments and feedback!**

**Short A/N on Japanese Words**: For the most part I won't be using any Japanese words except for honorifics (which you can easily look up if you don't know what they mean), but at times I might use phrases (not that many though) that aren't easy to translate such as "Itadakimasu". I will also be using some Japanese filler words such as eto, ano, etc because "um" and "uh" just sound ridiculously ditzy if overused.


	2. Different Characters

**A Man's World**

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**Chapter 2 Different Characters**

Hinata frowned uneasily, unnerved at being in the vicinity of her new roommate. Doubts about attending this new school away from the safety of her home were beginning to form at the back of her mind. She wondered how she could've possibly convinced herself that she could pass as a normal boy when she hardly felt comfortable in her own skin.

Uchiha Sasuke was sitting on his bed, leaning against the head frame as he flipped casually through a book he brought with him. Although he appeared to be skimming the pages, he occasionally shot chilling side long glances at her. The intensity of his stare disarmed her, leaving her feeling awkward and hopelessly flustered.

Dealing with Sasuke was like reliving the period when her relationship with Neji was at its stormiest. But, she didn't particularly feel any animosity from him; instead she felt like a criminal caught in the act, but instead of revealing her, it felt as though he was waiting for a confession.  
Hinata wanted desperately to switch roommates. When she had decided to come to the school she had always assumed that she would be staying with Neji, and as uncomfortable as it sounded to share a room with her uptight cousin, at least he didn't think she was something worth gawking at.  
She wondered if Neji was done unpacking. Maybe his roommate wouldn't mind switching rooms with her, or at least she hoped so. Hinata stole a quick glance at Sasuke, whose broody figure was still slightly bent over his reading material, but he was quick to notice and he shot her an accusing look, making her flush. She looked away, embarrassed.

The two continued their silent tango discontentedly. Hinata tried her best to ignore Sasuke's overbearing presence by absorbing herself with some of her own reading material she brought from home, but found it impossible to concentrate.

She childishly tried to telepathically communicate with Neji, asking him to come back and dispel the nervous atmosphere in the room, but realizing that it wouldn't work, she decided on a new tactic.

Just because Sasuke was difficult to approach didn't mean he was completely unapproachable. After spending her whole life in the Hyuuga household, she should be used to characters like Sasuke. Inhaling in a gulp of air for courage to butterflies in her stomach, she decided to break the silence herself. She turned decidedly towards him.

"How long have you attended this school?" she asked, the question the first thing that came into her mind.

His eyes slowly went from his book to her, but he remained silent for a few seconds as if contemplating on whether or not to answer. "Since I was old enough to attend school," he finally replied in a mocking tone.

"Oh… that makes sense," Hinata said, smiling uneasily at her own stupid question. She couldn't expect everyone to have a childhood as unconventional as hers. She forgot that most kids started school at the same time and usually remained at that same school until they graduated.

"And this is your first year," he mused, more so as a statement of fact than a question.

"That's right," she replied with a polite smile, glad that he was responding.

He furrowed his brow as if he was seriously thinking over her reply, but soon thought no longer about it and returned to his book. The awful silence returned once again, and she was discouraged by her own feeble attempts at drawing him into conversation, but then again, Sasuke did not seem to be have an over talkative character.

"H-Have you had lunch?" she asked after a quick glance at the clock.

"Nn," came the sound of his reply.

"Oh, I wanted to try eating at the cafeteria…" she explained, wondering if the noise he made meant "yes" or "no".

"The cafeteria stops serving lunch at three. They open again at five for dinner," he informed her.

"Oh really? I missed it then," she said, ruefully watching the clock show that it was half past three.

Hinata wasn't particularly hungry, but she was eager to explore, not to mention, she would've gladly liked the excuse to temporarily reliever herself from the discomfort of her present situation. Once again at a loss at how to occupy her time while she waited for Neji's return, she stole a few more glances at Sasuke who now seemed to have lost interest in her and was more preoccupied with reading a black cloth bound book that had no visible title apparent.

"I don't mean to bother you, but can I ask what you're reading?" she said meekly from her corner of the room.

"You can't," was his terse reply.

She blinked a few times, taken aback by his rude refusal. Embarrassed and dejected, any future attempts at making a conversation died out as she inwardly sighed over having such an uncooperative roommate. Suddenly, the door to their room slid open to reveal her long awaited cousin. Relieved, she sprang from her bed towards him, never quite so glad to see him in her life.

"Neji-niisan, you're back," she said wearily. Neji gave her a questioning look and she could feel the burn of Sasuke's eyes on her back again. It didn't take him very long to figure out the source of her distress.

"Come with me," Neji said, leading her into the hallway.

She followed him, she began to gently close the door behind her, but realizing it was uncharacteristic of a boy to be overly careful, she slammed the sliding door the rest of the way. Pleased at catching her mistake, she turned to follow Neji, but only to notice that the door was still slightly open by a few centimeters due to the unnecessary force she had used earlier. Hinata frowned; she had slammed it too hard. She went back and gently closed the crack, but suddenly it occurred to Hinata that what she just did just completely defeated the purpose of slamming the door in the first place. She sighed; this "guy" stuff was confusing.

"Satisfied? Hurry up," Neji asked impatiently.

"Sorry!" she said. She had to be a lot more self-conscious of her actions from now on she decided, or was it less self-conscious... she had no idea how a man's brain worked. He led her down the hallway towards his own room.

"That guy..." Neji said in a serious tone.

"Uchiha-san?"

"Keep an eye on him, I don't trust him," Neji said with a warning look.

"Why not?" Hinata asked curiously.

She wasn't one to doubt Neji's word, but she was curious as to whether or not they knew each other.

"Don't forget who you are," he said sternly.

"I won't," she protested. He paused, eyeing her incredulously.

"You… do you what who he is?"

"What do you mean?" Hinata searched his face for clarification. She had assumed that Neji had been referring to her being in disguise, but there seemed to be another reason behind his troubled expression.

"He is an Uchiha," said Neji in a low voice.

Although Hinata was not altogether familiar with the Uchiha clan, she never had reason to believe that that her clan harbored any antagonism towards them. However, she did understand that their relations were not as friendly as they used to be.  
In the early years of her childhood, she recalled peeking shyly at the members of the Uchiha clan when they visited the Hyuuga estate. Her father had told her not to bother the visitors, but being the curious child she was, she was drawn by the novelty of their presence. She even recalled that one of the Uchiha boys would occasionally slip from the meetings to humor her.

Those moments were the slivers of light in her otherwise bleak existence. She couldn't recall this boy's face or his name, only her own adoring feelings towards him, but that was enough for her to think of him as her first love. But for reasons unknown to her, the Uchiha had long ceased to visit her family and were rarely ever discussed until Hinata had long since forgotten to think about them.

"You can't trust them," Neji warned her. "They're–"

"NEEEEEJIIIIII-SAAAAN!" a loud wail boomed down the hallway.

Hinata, turning around the see the source of the noise was thunderstruck at the sight of a boy clad in a tight green bodysuit and orange legwarmers flying towards them. Her jaw dropped; she had never seen anything like him before in her life! The boy had an outdated bowl-cut hairstyle, eyebrows resembling two thick caterpillars sitting on top of his perfectly round eyes. The most striking part of it all was the ecstatic overflow of emotion emitting from him, something so alien to Hinata that at first she wasn't sure what to make of it.

The boy headed straight for Neji, arms wide open ready to launch into a giant bear hug, with tears of joy waterfalling from his eyes. Before anyone had time to react, the boy had already propelled himself onto Neji like a flying monkey.

"G-Get off of me!" Neji said with effort after having the wind knocked out of him, while trying futilely to pry off the green arms wrapped tightly around his side.

"NEJI-SAN, my partner in the battle of youth, I've missed you!" he sobbed, nuzzling Neji's chest like a kid who doesn't want his parent to leave him.  
"You're staining my shirt!" Neji said, outraged, now proceeding to give him a few good knocks on the back of his head.

The boy remained stubborn until Neji knocked him away with one powerful blow, sending the boy twirling through the air dramatically before collapsing onto the wall. Neji inhaled sharply with disgust and outrage when he looked down and saw that an outline of the boy's crying eyes and streak of tears had been imprinted onto his shirt.

Hinata clamped a hand over her mouth, but couldn't stop the burst of laughter when she saw the look on Neji's face. She laughed until her body trembled all over and tears were beginning to form at the corner of her eyes. And when she thought her laughter was ending, all it took was another glance at Neji's face to start it all over again.

Neji gaped at her in disbelief. He could not recollect a moment in his life when he saw her laugh like that. Even the boy in green, recovering himself, stared at her with curiosity, not having noticed her before.

"S-So-Sorry," Hinata muttered between the breaks of her laughter. Finally she managed to gulp down her laughs and control herself. Wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes with her jacket sleeve, she mumbled another string of apologies as she tried to cool her burning cheeks with the back of her hand.

"And who might you be?" the strange boy asked, suddenly taking her hand into his.

"My younger brother Hikaru," Neji answered for her, removing his hand from her hand from hers and automatically stepping in between them.

"Brother? I didn't know you had a brother! My apologies, I've made a mistake then!" he said, bowing deeply towards her. "My name is Rock Lee. You certainly are pretty enough to be a girl." Hinata flushed a deeper crimson while Neji scowled disapprovingly.

"I-It's okay. I can see how you would make the mistake," she said timidly.

"No it's not okay!" Lee suddenly declared. "To make up for it I'll show you my super dazzling smile!" he told her with a wink and a thumbs up.  
Neji gave him a deft chop to the head and Lee crumpled to the ground as if he had suddenly sprung an air leak.

"Don't mind him, he's always like this," Neji said with an exasperated sigh.

"Is… he a friend of yours?" she asked, a bit surprised at the unlikely combination.

"He's been my roommate for a long time," Neji replied with a scowl. Hinata smiled. Even though Neji didn't admit it, he certainly didn't deny it. She was glad that Neji had someone so lively for a friend.

"I'm glad you find this all so amusing," Neji said sarcastically.  
"It would be hard not to," she said.

"Lend me your handkerchief," Neji requested, holding out his hand. She quickly fished for it in her pants pocket and handed it to him. Neji, with another sigh, began dabbing the wet marks on his shirt. Hinata choked back another laugh.

"Will he be okay?" Hinata asked, examining Lee's twitching body on the ground.

"I hope not," Neji scoffed.

"I-I'm fine!" Lee groaned, his voice muffled by the wooden floor.

"Leave him," Neji ordered, seeing that she was ready to help him back up. "It's not worth the thanks he'll suffocate you with once he gets back up."

"What are you doing with my handkerchief?" she asked, watching Neji pocket it.

"It needs to be sterilized and then burned. I'll get you a new one later," Neji told her, completely serious in his intention. She decided it would be better not to question it.

"Neji-niisan… what were you saying before?" she asked, still wanting to know about the Uchiha.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter anymore. I'll try to apply for a switch in roommates, but unfortunately, it might take awhile. In the mean time, don't get too close to him."

"Hai…" Hinata assented with a nod. She didn't understand, but Neji knew more about these things than she did and she trusted his judgment more than her own.

"Did he say anything to you?" he asked.

"Like what?"

"WATCH OUT!" someone screamed from behind her.

Another loud burst of commotion came from down the hallway, interrupting the two Hyuuga once again. Hinata, startled for the second time, turned to see a boy with bright yellow hair dashing madly towards her, his arms whipping back and forth by his sides as he sped with inhuman speed to escape from someone who was chasing him.

"NARUUUTO COME BACK HERE!" the voice of an angry girl roared from afar.  
Before Hinata could get out of the path of this sudden stampede, the boy called Naruto, unable to swerve his momentum, came crashing into her. Hinata gasped as a sharp pain shooting down her spine took her breath away. Both toppled over with a loud thud and Hinata found herself staring dazedly at the ceiling.

Sprawled partially on top of her was the careless boy groaning in pain. Hinata, too stunned from the collision to think properly could only hear the sound of faraway voices yelling at each other, one which she recognized was Neji's. When she finally registered the embarrassing position she was in, the blood rushed back to her head. The boy raised himself up onto all fours, still cursing under his breath. Eventually realizing that he had fallen on top of her, he looked down at her with eyes so vividly blue, she could almost believe that he had stole it from the summer sky.

"Huh?" he said, completely confused to see her. But suddenly remembering that someone had been chasing after him, he quickly shot up and looked around nervously.

"Naruto, you idiot, at least apologize when you run into someone," a girl said angrily, taking the sheepish blonde by the collar.

"Are you hurt?" Neji asked, helping Hinata to her feet.

"I-I'm fine, I think…" she replied shakily.

"Sorry about that, I didn't see you," Naruto told her, but seemed more preoccupied with escaping once again.

"You don't see much do you?" the girl said dryly, tightening her grip. Hinata was in awe upon seeing the girl's appearance. She had never thought it possible for anyone to have pink hair before, but this girl's chin length hair was a glittery pastel pink color.

"I apologize for this idiot, I hope he didn't hurt you too much," the girl said, checking her over with concern.

"Sakura-san!" Lee exclaimed. He had recovered back onto his feet enough to leap towards her with his arms wide open.

Sakura's worried expression immediately transformed into demonic rage as she answered Lee's approaching form with a fist that seemed to be made of steel, smashing him back onto the ground that he had just recently left. Hinata winced, sympathetic of Lee, but also frightened of the unprecedented eruption of violence from such a pretty girl.

"What did I tell you about touching me?" she snapped irritably. "Now what was I doing? Oh yeah, Naruto!" she said, recalling her reason for being there. She spotted him worming away down the hall quietly trying not to be noticed. She clicked her tongue in annoyance as she dragged him back towards her by the leg and then proceeded to start pummeling him, her fists coming down like hammers.

"Sorry Sakura-san! It was an accident!" Naruto screamed. Sakura stopped after he was sufficiently covered in bruises, with a satisfied look on her face.

Hinata, shocked, glanced uneasily at Neji who simply watched the scene as if it was perfectly normal behavior. Bored and disliking the crowd that had gathered near him, he left without her noticing until he was completely gone. Lee, picking himself back up again, brushed the dust off his clothes as if he wasn't at all bothered by his recent abuse.

"Sakura-san, Naruto-kun, let me introduce to you to Hikaru-san. He's Neji's younger brother," Lee said, rejoining them without the least bit of resentment.

"H-Hello," Hinata said nervously, avoiding all the eyes that were now focused on her.

"I'm Haruno Sakura," the girl said with a smile so sweet that no one would've suspected she had just finished beating two boys.

"U-Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said tiredly since he was still recovering from Sakura's blows.

"It's nice to meet you," Hinata replied shyly, happy to meet new people.

"You're a really cutesy boy. You look just like a bunny rabbit," Naruto exclaimed, pressing his face incredibly close to hers. Hinata reddened again, uncomfortable with the breach of personal space. Luckily Sakura yanked him backwards by the cuff of his shirt.

"You must excuse him, he's an idiot," Sakura said, rolling her eyes.

"Haha, sorry!" Naruto said. "I've been told I'm kind of… what's the word?" he asked, looking at Sakura.

"Nosy? Intrusive?" Sakura suggested.

"Yeah… those," Naruto said with a laugh.

"Not at all," she replied in a meek quiet voice, too quiet to be heard.

"Speak up, you're a guy right? Also you talk waaay too formally," Naruto lectured.

"I think boys who speak formally is nice change!" Sakura said coming to her rescue, much to Hinata's relief. "It's cute!" That wasn't exactly the response Hinata was looking for though, but she was happy nonetheless.

"Naruto-kun, of course Hikaru-san speaks formally. He comes from the elite Hyuuga family! But Hikaru-san, you can speak casually here too," Lee assured her with a firm pat on her shoulder.

"Yeah, but any guy caught acting like a prude is gonna get beat up," Naruto said stubbornly.

"Really?" Hinata exclaimed fearfully. After seeing how strong Sakura was, Hinata didn't dare doubt his words that physical violence was commonplace at the school.

"Heheh, don't worry, if anybody messes with you, they'll have to answer to me!" Naruto said, proudly crossing his arms.

"Oh wipe that stupid grin off your face," Sakura said, pulling at his cheek like a mother punishing a child.

"Since you're a Hyuuga, no one would dare pick fights with you," Lee told her. Hinata nodded, even though she didn't understand what being a Hyuuga had to do with anything.

"If anyone does anything mean, just give them the bird," Naruto said with another giant grin. This suggestion was awarded with another smack by Sakura.

"Don't teach him stupid things."

"What's… that?" Hinata asked, confused.

"Something only unruly people like Naruto-kun uses," Lee told her. "It's not suitable for a kid like you."

"It's the middle finger!" Naruto laughed, still continuing even though he was rubbing the bumps forming on the back of his head.

"You know what? I should stop hitting your head because obviously, it's just making things worse," Sakura said wryly.

"What about the middle finger…?" Hinata was still confused.

Everyone stopped chattering and exchanged a few quiet glances before bursting out into laughter. Hinata reddened once again in embarrassment.  
"Seriously, you don't know what the middle finger is? Holy shit that's funny!" Naruto cried, slapping his knee in laughter.

"I think it's better if you don't know," Sakura told her.

"O-Okay…" Hinata frowned. She would have to ask Neji later.

"Do you guys have the time?" Lee asked suddenly.

"Why don't you just get a watch?" Sakura sighed.

"He doesn't believe in watches," Naruto answered for him.

"I-It's four o'clock," Hinata said, surprised at how quickly the time passed.

"Oh! Well I'll have to see you all some other time then. It's time for me to go training in the mountains," he announced with a beaming smile. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you Hikaru-san, I bid you all adieu," he said with a gallant bow before running off. Hinata watched him go, perplexed by what he meant by going to train in the mountains, perhaps another slang term which she didn't understand?

"Ne, Hikaru. You're living on the first floor right? Who are you rooming with anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Ano… I don't know if you know him, but I'm rooming with Uchiha-san," she said.

Both Sakura and Naruto s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock. "SASUKE?"

"So you know him?" she said, puzzled by their reaction.

"He's the worst!" Naruto said while Sakura replied with, "He's the love of my life!"

"Eh?"

"Sasuke is the worst, we used to room together and I almost went insane being near him. He used to call me a disgusting pig just because I left a few things on the floor. ARGH, I couldn't stand his neat-freak ways. I swear, he's obsessive compulsive or something because he got pissed off at me for not putting arranging my books in alphabetical order? Who the hell cares in this day and age? He even once punched me for laughing too loud while he was reading! He's the devil's spawn!"

"No Sasuke-kun is the best!" Sakura fumed, angry at Naruto's depiction. "He's the most popular guy at school, no contest. It's pretty obvious why too; he's incredibly smart; he gets perfect marks without needing to study; he's super strong and fast; and he's the hottest, coolest and sexiest guy at school. He's absolutely perfect," Sakura said with a dreamy sigh.

"What part of him is perfect? I'm a thousand times better than that loser!" Naruto yelled.

"Were you even paying attention?" Sakura fumed, "You're the loser!"

"I'm not a loser, you are!" Naruto blurted out, but immediately realizing his mistake, clamped his jaw shut.

"What?" Sakura said dangerously, her eyes sharpening like a hawk eyeing a squirrel.

"Uh... heh..." Naruto laughed nervously, "I meant... I'm... the loser..." he replied, already backing away.

"That's what I thought," Sakura said, folding her arms.

Hinata couldn't get used to the way they spoke to each other. It seemed like these people from the outside world lacked any sort of censorship; they said whatever they felt and did whatever they liked. It was bewildering to her, but it also showed her the colorful variety and the refreshing freedom she had been missing in her life as the protected heiress.

"He's still a loser though," Naruto mumbled quietly under his breath, but Sakura heard it anyway.

"NARUTO!" she snapped, snatching at his collar again.

Suddenly the door to Hinata's room opened with a loud snap and a very peeved Sasuke emerged.

"What the hell is wrong with you all?" he said in a dangerously low voice.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried happily.

"You guys sound like a bunch of stampeding elephants out here. If you want to talk, go outside," he said, running his fingers through his hair in an agitated manner.

"Sasuke-kun, we're very sorry for disturbing you!" Sakura said with an appeasing smile.

"If YOU want quiet, YOU can leave! I'm not going anywhere," Naruto said sticking his tongue out.

The two locked into a death glare match, daring the other to do something he'll regret. Hinata looked between the two with alarm, hoping that her new friend and her new roommate wouldn't end up fighting.

"A-A-Ano…" Hinata stammered, clutching her hands together nervously, "sh-should we go outside? I th-think we were slightly too loud," she said, the volume of her words decreasing rapidly under Sasuke's icy gaze.

"We?" Sasuke repeated.

"You're not in 'we'," Naruto said triumphantly, draping a heavy arm around Hinata. "Come on, I'll show you around school, it's much better than staying here and having to keep looking at Sasuke's hideous face." The last few words elicited a sharp gasp of mortification from Sakura.

"Get your arm off of my roommate," Sasuke said.

"Hey, don't tell me what to do! Besides Hikaru and I are friends," Naruto said smugly.

Hinata was already frozen under the physical contact. Prolonged physical contact was not a familiar experience for her and she fought hard to keep calm when Naruto, to prove his point, drew her tighter to him. Instead of blushing furiously, Hinata could feel the color drain from her face instead.

"Do you want to die?" Sasuke said darkly.

"Just try me!" Naruto shot back smugly.

"Don't regret those words later," Sasuke told him coolly.

"In your drea–" Before Naruto could finish his line Sasuke had zipped up, knocking Naruto backwards with a punch faster than her eye could see.

"Ow, you bastard!" Naruto said, his voice muffled by his hand over his face. "I think my nose is bleeding…" And sure enough, when he removed his hand to search for blood, a red stream was seeping from his nostrils. Sasuke, uninterested in watching the blonde boy yell and curse at the top of his lungs.

"U-Uzumaki-san!" Hinata cried. She reached for her handkerchief but didn't find it there, forgetting that she had lent it to Neji earlier.

"It's Naruto," he replied, his voice nasally from pinching his nose to stop the flow.

"Geez, now look at what you've done," Sakura said, speaking not to the one who threw the punch, but the receiver. Fortunately, Sakura carried around tissue.

Sasuke, no longer interested in the screaming match now occurring between those two turned his attention to Hinata again. He took a few steps towards her and leaned slightly downwards to close the gap between their heights. Hinata reflexively took a step back.

"Come with me," he commanded her in low voice so the others wouldn't overhear.

He turned to leave, but seeing that she was hesitant to follow him, he came back and she was flustered to find that he had taken her hand in his. She froze again under the suddenness of their skin's contact, but he jerked her forward, dragging her away from the bickering couple.

"I don't usually give advice, but if you know what's good for you, stay away from them," Sasuke told her. Hinata looked at him thoughtfully; there was a sense of déjà vu.

"They seem friendly…"

"Even serial killers can be friendly," Sasuke retorted wryly. She had no comment.

"W-Where are we going?" she asked after he had led her outside.

"I'm showing you around the school," he stated.

She was beginning to feel an uncomfortable tingling sensation crawling over her skin, a jittery anxiety from his hand pressing hers. It wasn't an altogether unpleasant feeling, but she didn't think she could endure it any longer. The color was seeping back to her cheeks, warming them until they were lightly stained with a soft pink hue. Finally reaching her limits, she wriggled her hand free from his grip. She hoped she wasn't offending him, but he didn't seem to care regardless and freed her without a fuss.

They continued to walk in silence, Hinata a step behind Sasuke, following the path up from the dormitory until they reached an intersection of roads. Other students, many still moving items into the dormitory were walking about, more often than not shooting a few curious looks at the two as they passed by.

He took the left path and she hurried after him, wondering why he was doing her the favor. Contrary to her first impression, maybe he was a nice after all. He did remind her of Neji quite a bit. She wasn't sure if that was the reason, but a pervasive feeling of nostalgia washed over her when she saw his determined face.

Maybe… Hinata shook her head silently to herself; Sasuke couldn't have been the Uchiha boy who used to visit her in the past. It was surely impossible, highly improbable, and simply too great of a notion to be true. Missing from Sasuke was the gentle smile that she held all too tightly within her heart.  
Still, she contemplated the idea, running it through her mind a few times. Preoccupied with her own thoughts, she hadn't noticed Sasuke's sudden stop and she collided into his hard back.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, embarrassed.

"This is the library," he said, ignoring her apology.

The library? Her gaze followed the sloping landscape to see a very tall tower stretching upwards for at least five or six floors. Could it be that this whole building was filled with books? She was anxious to go inside and find out, but she didn't want to be impolite.

"That's amazing. I really do love reading books," she said breathily. She found it a happy coincidence that the first place Sasuke would introduce her to was the place she wanted to visit the most.

"Well, that's the end of the tour," Sasuke remarked, suddenly starting to leave.

"Uchiha-san, where are you going?"

"I don't want to get in the way of you and your precious books," he said sarcastically.

"Are you not coming in too?" she asked, worried about suddenly being left alone to her own devices.

"I hate reading, and I hate books."

"W-Weren't you reading a book earlier?" she asked innocently.

"What of it?" his coal black eyes burned with irritation.

She looked upon him with some confusion, perplexed by his sudden change in attitude. He looked back at her, the fire cooling in his eyes until his expression reverted back into indifferent complacency. A small sigh escaped his lips and she regretted having bothered him.

"Thanks Uchiha-san, I will go alone then," she told him with a polite smile. She turned her back towards him started down the incline towards the building. Before she reached the doors heading inside, she craned her neck to look back but saw that Sasuke was gone. Disappointment that he had left without saying a word tinted her mood with melancholy. She wanted to be friends with him because she sensed that he was a good person beneath that tough exterior, but she couldn't comprehend his thoughts or his actions.

But, not expecting to gain a full understanding of a person after only knowing them in such a short period of time, she was optimistic that they could be friends in the future. The tingling warmth that still lingered on her hand when he had held it had already made the promise.

* * *

**Please Review! Thanks!**


	3. The First Night

**A Man's World**

A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers!

* * *

**Chapter 3 The First Night**

If she thought the outside was impressive, Hinata was completely blown away by the spectacular vision in front of her. Rows after rows, shelves upon shelves of books lined the whole floor like of stacked dominos. For Hinata, it was comparable to paradise itself.

Her heart glowed with ecstatic joy that she could come to this place whenever she wished. Everything about the place was wonderful. The cozy quietness of the library and the stale smell of old books created a contained world separate from the one outside, almost as if it was exempt from the linearity of time.

An old grandfather's clock stood by the doorway, its pendulum swinging slowly back and forth to remind its visitors of the finite. Hinata looked about, spotting a large mahogany counter where a bespectacled old man, probably as old as the invention of history, sat, flipping the pages of a thick tome with his wrinkled fingers.

She stood there, hovering between the door and the desk unsure of the protocols of library conduct. Should she introduce herself? She halted in indecision until the double doors creaked open and then groaned closed as another person entered.

A boy, probably not much older than her, came in dressed in an overly large coat and wearing, much to Hinata's surprise, dark sunglasses. His black hair was standing straight up, seemingly defying the laws of gravity. He passed her without a word casually made his way to one of the front rows and immersed himself in a small black book that he slipped from between two large ones.

Following his example, Hinata cautiously slipped amongst the rows of books, eyeing the old man at the front desk for signs of disapproval, but finding none, she felt more at ease and continued on.  
The sections he had wandered in were the biographies. She recognized many great figures in history, their names painted upon thick dusty volumes lining the shelves. Spotting a particular writer's life that she was interested in, she plucked it off the shelf and secured it safely underneath her arm. One after another, she saw titles that caught her eye and collected them under her arm, but the weight of her greed was beginning to tire out her arm.

She was unable to comfortably carry more than five large books at once and so had to make do until her next visit. When she picked out the five she would take back out of the many that she wanted, she carried them to the desk where the old man sat with a sign above him that read "Check-Out" in large black letters.

"E-Excuse me," she said in a low voice.

The old man did not budge; he kept reading, occasionally licking his fingers in order to turn the pages of the book he was reading.

"Um… excuse me sir," she said, a little louder this time.

"He's a bit deaf, so you'll have to be louder than that," a male voice said from behind her.

Hinata turned around, startled. It was the boy from earlier who had come in with the black tinted glasses. She looked small and frightened in the twin reflection on the black glass.

"Hello…" she said with an uneasy smile.

"What is it?" the old man said, finally noticing that she was standing there. Hinata returned her attention to him.

"I'm here to check out these books," she said loudly, pointing at them. He just smiled and told her to sign her name on this sheet of paper. She almost signed Hinata instead of Hikaru but caught herself in time.

"Hikaru-kun eh?" the old man crooned, pursing his thin lips with pleasure. "What a lovely name."  
"Thank you," Hinata replied with a smile.

"And Shino-kun, did you need something?" the old man asked looking to the boy behind her.  
"Just this one," he held up the small black book.

After she was done she said her thanks to them and headed back out the library. But just when she was about to reach for the door handle, BANG, the door whipped open and slammed right into her, forcing Hinata backwards and smacking all the books out of her arms. She stood, stunned as the books scattered about her.

"SHINO! I knew you'd be in here!" the guy's voice boomed arrogantly as he pointed an accusing finger at Shino.

Shino let out a small sigh, gesturing to Hinata who was still standing dumbfounded to where she was pushed back. The boy, following the gesture, finally spotted Hinata. His eyes widened in horror.

"I'm really sorry! I thought I hit something on my way in. AGH, I'm a freaking idiot," he said, pulling at his messy brown hair agonizingly. He bent down quickly, gathering her fallen books into his arms, continuing his train of remorse under his breath. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she murmured, relaxing after seeing his apologetic face. She had half-expected him to start yelling at her, but was surprised he didn't. Back at home, even if it wasn't her fault, she would've had to apologize if a similar situation happened.

"That's good, phew for a second I thought I would be in a trouble," he broke into a disarmingly sweet smile. He appeared rough on the outside, almost animalistic if she didn't know better. With sunkissed honey brown skin and sharply intense features, he seemed to her like a wolf, which seemed like a funny coincidence after he gave her his name.

"You're new here, I'm Inuzuka Kiba," he told her, handing her the books.

"I'm Hyuuga Hikaru, nice to meet you," she said with a smile.

"And this is Akamaru," he said, reaching behind him. And much to her amazement, a small white dog had been sitting in the back of his hood the whole time. The dog gave a cheerful bark, his little white tail wagging furiously. Kiba took a hold of him and lifted him out for her to see.

She smiled, unable to resist the charms of an adorable puppy. Balancing the books in one of her arms, she reached tentatively to pat Akamaru on the head who responded with a few happy yips and another furious tail wagging storm that slapped Kiba in the face. She laughed.

"Cut it out," Kiba said, dropping Akamaru and wiping his face with his sleeve.

"He's very cute," she told him.

"But a total troublemaker," Kiba said, scratching the puppy behind the ears.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. I have to go now," she said, planning on leaving and not wanting to make such a loud ruckus in the library.

"Already? Here, let me carry some of those books for you," he said, grabbing a few off the top of the pile.

"N-No you don't have to trouble yourself," she said, blushing at his offer. "I can do it."

"Eh, it's no trouble, it's the least I can do after slamming the door into your arm," he said. "Actually let me just take all of them," he said, lifting the rest from her before she had a chance to protect them.

"I'm not hurt, honest," she said firmly.

"I got it, I got it," he reassured her. "You can carry Akamaru, that lazy bum," he said glowering at his dog who wagged his tail in amusement.

Although she was still hesitant about accepting his offer, she didn't have much of a choice as she kneeled down to pick up Akamaru, who readily jumped into her arms with a powerful lurch. Cradling him gently in her arms, she ran after Kiba who was already out the door.

"Weren't you looking for Shino-san?" she asked him innocently as they were walking away.

"Oh crap! I totally forgot!" Kiba said with a groan. "Give me one second," he told her and ran back into the library. She could hear him yell: "Shino, Asuma-sensei said to bring the bug catalogue for the nature hike tonight!"

As soon as he was done, he came back outside nonchalantly. Although she didn't approve of him raising his voice in the library, she could imagine him doing it any other way.

"When you said 'nature hike'…"

"Huh? Do you want to come?" he asked.

"Eh? No I couldn't possibly," she said shaking her head. "But… what did you mean by it?" she asked.  
"What do you mean 'what do you mean'?" he asked with confusion.

"I-I meant… is it… a school activity or…?" she trailed off, embarrassed by his fixed stare.

"Oh right, I guess you wouldn't know since you're new," he said with a laugh. "Sorry about that. Well, basically the school offers a wide range of activities you can sign up for. Experience is the best teacher ya'know. Anyway, a lot of them are listed in the school newspaper if you're interested. Tonight a few students and I are going on a night time nature hunt. Shino's a crazy bug freak so we're helping him find some nocturnal species for his collection," Kiba told her.

"That sounds incredible," Hinata said, her cheeks flushing from anticipation. She gave Akamaru a tight squeeze in her arms at the thought of all the things she could do, and no one could stop her from doing them.

"So where are we heading?" Kiba asked after they reached the crossroads.

"To the boys' dormitory to drop them off in my room," she said, still uncomfortable with a random stranger she had just met helping her to such an extent.

"Eh? The Boys' dormitory? Alright, what room are you in?" he asked as they walked towards it.  
"Room 102," she replied.

"Ohhh, first floor I see. That's lucky for a new student, but I'm not surprised. Are you related to that other Hyuuga? What was his name… ah Neji, that's right," Kiba asked thoughtfully.

"He's my older brother," she said.

"I'm jealous. You Hyuugas sure have it good," he said. Hinata stiffened, she couldn't agree with him on that point.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well it's pretty damn hard to get a room on the first floor. Actually it's near impossible with all the elite kids that attend this school. Since you're from such an elite clan, your dad probably arranged to have some other kid kicked off the first floor to get into it. Without some sort of outside influence, a new kid like you could never get on the first floor," he said rather angrily, even though that anger wasn't directed at her.

"I-I don't know anything a-about that," Hinata said, flustered from the sting of his words.

"You guys have your own personal bathrooms and studies, that's the good life," Kiba said with a sigh. "Well at least I finally got to move onto the second floor–I'm in 235 by the way–but we have to share everything on the upper floors. The bathrooms get pretty nasty the higher you go," he said with a grimace.

"Then… Naruto-kun…"

"Oh yeah, you did replace Naruto didn't you?" Kiba said, this time with a slight grin. "Well I wouldn't worry about anyone resenting you for being Sasuke's roommate. Actually, if anything, you're doing us all a service," he said with a wry smile.

Once again, she had come across another person who did not look favorably upon her roommate. Certainly, Sasuke's attitude wasn't the friendliest, but he couldn't be bad enough to warrant these kinds of reactions from everyone.

"Here we are," she said when they reached their room. She placed Akamaru down onto the floor and slid the door open.

"Very spacious," Kiba noted with a slight whistle. "And high ceilings too."

"Who said you could invite people into my room?" Sasuke said, appearing from his study upon hearing them enter.

"What do you mean your room? You share it with Hikaru," Kiba snapped.

"There's also no animals allowed," Sasuke ignored Kiba's comment.

"Hey, who do you think you are?" Kiba snarled, animosity filling the room as the two boys glared at each other.

"Took the words right out of my mouth. Now get out, you smell."

Hinata reddened, embarrassed by Sasuke's treatment of Kiba. She looked between the two boys, terrified that they may end up in a brawl right there in the room.

"Ma-maybe you should go for now Kiba-kun," she said, taking the books from him. "Thank you for your help," she muttered, hoping she wasn't offending him by asking him to leave.

"Whatever," Kiba said under his breath. "I'll see you around then Hikaru. Good luck living with _that_ guy," he added before leaving.

When the door slid behind him, she let out a sigh of relief. Her life at the school was very different from home. Everyone knew their role and position in the clan and there was a clear hierarchy. Depending on where you stood, you had to either follow orders or give them, either way, no one challenged another's position.

"I'm sorry that I brought someone without asking… I'll be more careful next time. But U-Uchiha-san, I think i-it wouldn't ha-have hurt to be ni-nicer," she tripped nervously over her words, afraid of the response he'd have over her giving _him_ advice.

"Hikaru," he said darkly. The way he said it surprised her. She was used to people addressing her by her first name shortly after being acquainted, but it had come so naturally to them that she paid it no attention. But with Sasuke, addressing her by that name sounded awkward in his mouth like it did hers when she first repeated it to herself. From this, Hinata could surmise that Sasuke too, was from a clan similar to her own.

"Hai?" she said, slightly unnerved again by his focused gaze.

"I know…" he began to say, but stopped. He sounded dead serious that she was forced to look up again.

"Know what?" she asked, her heart quickening. What did he know? She had been afraid he had discovered her identity earlier; maybe that was what he knew. She fidgeted anxiously in the spot she stood.

"Never mind, forget it. It's not important," he said. Turning his back to her, he disappeared into his study.

She stared at the door to his study blankly, feeling slightly deflated after the lack of resolution. How could he just tell her to forget about it? She hoped that it really was nothing after all and that her paranoia was simply running rampant. She would've liked to go to his door and demand for him to tell her what was on his mind, but Hinata being Hinata, could never do something like that.

Hinata grabbed the books sitting upon her desk and slipped them into an empty shelf on her bookcase. She wasn't sure how she should deal with Sasuke. She really wanted for them to be friends Well… it really didn't seem possible anyway. Neji didn't have to tell her not to get close to him.  
After putting away, Hinata went through her room once again, memorizing every small concrete detail. The feeling of the room being _her_ room from now on was beginning to dawn on her as reality. This was her new home now. Although already stressed out from the recent events, she still smiled happily to herself.

Night came quickly and Hinata was too excited to sleep. Her body was tired from having been unable to sleep the night before, but her mind refused to quiet, but she wasn't alone. It seemed that Sasuke was also unable to sleep.

He tried to, but as quickly as she got into bed, he left it. She slept towards the wall so she couldn't see what he was doing, but she could hear him moving back and forth in the room, pacing restlessly in and out of his study. When he became bored of pacing, he would wander outside for a stretch of time and return half an hour later, bringing with him the smell of black pine and the starry night sky. But he continued his restless activity after he came back. She wondered if something was bothering him; he seemed to have more on his mind than she did. Even Hinata, weary from the long day, was beginning to fall asleep, her mind hazily followed Sasuke's movements about the room until she finally drifted off.

She had a strange dream that night that she was a ninja... and quite a decent one too, but she was roused from that dream by the sound of Sasuke's voice. She heard him murmuring curses under his breath and she wondered if he still couldn't sleep. She turned over and saw him lying in his bed, eyes closed, but appearing extremely distressed. She sat up for a few minutes, observing him in the dark as he tossed and turned. Was he having a nightmare?

She considered waking him, but her timid nature kept her bound to her bed. Worried but unable to act, she dropped her head back down onto her pillow, watching over Sasuke's tortured frame until he finally settled down for what seemed like an eternity later.

When Hinata woke up the next morning, it would've been an understatement to say that she was feeling quite tired. But she was startled awake by the sight of her unfamiliar surroundings. She quickly sat up, but sighed a breath of relief once she remembered where she was.

Sasuke was already awake. His back was turned to her but she could see he was packing his bag for the class. He gave her a quick glance before returning his attention to packing. He seemed okay, he didn't look particularly tired.

"Good morning," she said.

"Morning," he mumbled under his breath.

She contemplated asking how he slept, but since she knew the answer to that question and it seemed rude to ask, she said nothing about it.

"Uchiha-san, I forgot to ask… but where do you get the school newspaper?" she asked upon suddenly remembering.

"In the mail. They were given out yesterday, if you want to see it I have it on my desk in my study," he replied, but otherwise paid no attention as he continued to shove more things in his bag, one being a change of clothing.

"Oh okay, thank you."

Talking to him still made her extremely nervous, but so did talking to most people so she considered it more her own fault than his. She was, however, fairly optimistic in that she would try dealing with him the same way she dealt with Neji. If nothing else came out of it, she wanted them to at least cohabit peacefully.

"Ittekimasu," Sasuke muttered, resentful that he had to say anything at all, before leaving.

Before Hinata had the chance to react, the door was already shut behind him. She sat on her bed a few minutes, wondering where he was going so early in the morning. It was barely six in the morning, the sky was still a dark twilight blue and the air was chilled by dawn.

Eventually, she slid out of bed, wincing as her bare feet touched the icy wooden floor (she would have to remember to get slippers) and headed towards Sasuke's study. As she had been forewarned by Naruto, Sasuke's study was impeccably neat and well-organized.

Large bookshelves lined one wall of his room and books that looked brand new lined the shelves. Before she even ventured to search for the newspaper, she scanned his collection, admiring his literary tastes. She didn't recognize many of the books, but they certainly looked important. Lining the bottom shelf was Sasuke's old class notebooks from previous years. Other than the books, there was not much else in the room to indicate his tastes or interests. He had a stand in the corner propping up beautifully sheathed swords, two she recognized as katanas. His interest in sword was not particularly surprising given his character and background.

There was a complete absence of other people in the room. There were no framed pictures, odd trinkets from childhood's past, memorabilia from noteworthy events through his life, nothing at all. Even the Hyuuga enjoyed their classical paintings and calligraphy as well as a vase of beautifully arranged flowers.

She knew it wasn't her place to pass judgment on other people's lives, but the pervasive feeling of loneliness was difficult to ignore. Hinata returned to her original intention of finding the newspaper, which she promptly spotted sitting on the top of his desk. She grabbed it, but just as she was about to leave, she noticed that there was crumpled up photo in his trash bin. She halted in her steps. She wouldn't have been curious if his room wasn't so free of photos, so she took it out of the trash bin without a second thought, unfolding it quickly but carefully.

It was a family photo. She immediately spotted Sasuke with a wide cheek-to-cheek grin standing in front of a woman in a luxuriously woven dark blue kimono who Hinata assumed was his mother. Hinata could immediately see that Sasuke inherited his mother's beauty. She had the loving smile of a caring mother as she placed one hand on Sasuke's shoulder as the other looped around the arm of a boy who bore a striking resemblance to Sasuke. His older brother, Hinata thought with certainty. They had very similar faces. Finally, a man she assumed was the father stood with an enthusiastic arm wrapped around the shoulder of the eldest son. It was evident to Hinata that the family was figuratively and literally centered around Sasuke's older brother.

The family in the picture was a happy one, Sasuke was happy in the picture, so why did he throw it away? Hinata traced the wrinkled creases of the picture as she thought about her own family. She tried her best to flatten out the picture, convinced that she should keep it safe for him. Even if Sasuke wished to throw it out, there might come a day where he might regret it.

So until that day comes, she took it upon herself as her duty to protect it. He would be angry, no, more than angry–furious–if he found out, but it was a risk she was willing to take. She was being nosy, she was prying, but some things were more important than being polite.

Hinata took the photo to her study and placed it carefully into one of the books she brought from home, a favorite read of hers. Satisfied that it would keep the photo from being further damaged or from being found, she went to her desk to read the newspaper.

"The Konoha Scroll," she said, reading the title out loud.

She flipped through the pages which mainly consisted of small student achievements and new school changes. She quickly scrolled through the list of activities and found none that she was particularly interested in. Most of them were sporting events and fighting tournaments which she held no interest in whatsoever. Another was a party for students out at the lake, but since she could not wear a bathing suit it was out of the question. For the few that she could imagine wanting to participate in, she was felt much too shy to actually go to.

"There's always next week," she said to herself gloomily.

A quick glance at the clcok told her that it was time for her to start getting ready for class. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. It was her first day of actual class. Before today, Hinata had always been homeschooled. She left the newspaper on top of her desk and walked out the door with undeniably violent butterflies in her stomach.

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**Review Please! Thanks :)**


	4. An Unexpected Invitation

**A Man's World**

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**Chapter 4 An Unexpected Invitation**

A violent storm of anxiety churned her stomach as Hinata left for her first day of class. As an extra precaution, she made sure to leave early, much too early, because she was deathly afraid of the off chance she would get lost and end up late.

But arriving early was a habit of hers since childhood. The Hyuuga household had strict rules when it came to keeping appointments. Arriving on time was not acceptable, it was too close to being late. One must always be early.

It was barely dawn when Hinata left the boys' dormitory. Remnants of the night still lingered in the sky, but morning was just behind the horizon. The twittering early birds could be heard, invisible to her eye, but a sweet string of melodies cut through the otherwise desolate landscape.

"Gooooooood morning Hikaru!" Hinata was startled out of her thoughts by an abruptly loud voice booming behind her. She almost ignored the call, forgetting for a moment that she was no longer "Hinata-sama".

Naruto, the boy with the golden hair who had collided into her yesterday ran towards her, waving his arm side to side ecstatically. He met her with a wide and toothy grin.

"Good morning Uzumaki-san," she smiled, happy to see a familiar face. "You're as energetic as ever."

"It's Naruto," he scolded her. "Na-ru-to," he pronounced for her carefully.

"Na-Naruto…kun," she answered with an awkward smile.

"Good enough. We'll work on it some other time. You really are too formal," he said, laughing and giving her a hearty smack on the back. "We're all buds here!"

"B-Buds?"

"Friends," he replied, laughing again.

"But… you barely know me."

"What's there to know? I like you and that's all there is to it. Everything else is just details!" he exclaimed. Hinata blushed, unaccustomed to his friendly and open manner. It was weird to hear someone she only met yesterday tell her that he liked her. Not even her own father liked her, at least, he never showed or said anything that suggested otherwise.

His words made her happy, but she didn't know how to trust them.

"Hey Hikaru, did you eat yet?" he asked. Naruto stretched his arms skyward and then rested them on the back of his head thoughtfully.

"No…" she replied. Her stomach was clenched too tightly for her to stomach even the idea of eating.

"Great, c'mon let's go get some ramen!" he declared excitedly, his fist shot in the air victoriously as he hurried her down the grassy slopes towards the cafeteria.

"Ramen?" she asked, dumbfounded. Did people eat ramen for breakfast? It didn't seem very healthy. She wasn't even allowed to eat ramen at all, let alone for breakfast. The only time she had it was on special occasions, but even then, sparingly.

"Ramen, ramen, ramen!" Naruto chanted enthusiastically, his face lit up with delight as he raced towards the ramen stand.

The cafeteria grounds were mainly deserted except for the few and scattered handful of people quietly eating their breakfast or minding their own businesses.

The school's cafeteria had a whole building to itself, but most people seemed to prefer eating outdoors rather than use the indoors canteen. The food, although cooked within the building, was served through open stands located on the edge of the building. From what Hinata read in her introduction pamphlet, the cafeteria building consisted of many kitchens that were used by the food stands as well as for cooking classes. However, what intrigued Hinata the most was that there were smaller mini-kitchens that students could access during all times of the day in order to cook their own meals.

Hinata was incredibly fond of cooking; it was one of the few activities available to her at home and also one of the few things her father actually complimented her on. He told her that the food she made tasted similar to her mother's, the greatest compliment she could ever hope to receive.

Naruto approached the red ramen stand where an older man and a younger lady worked. The two smiled when they saw him.

"Hikaru what kind of ramen would you like?" Naruto asked, "My treat!" he told her holding out a goofy green frog change purse.

"Eh? That's okay. You don't have to treat me. I'm not hungry," she said waving her hands back and forth nervously.

"One barbeque pork ramen and one plain!" he called out, she wondered if he heard her. It was amazing, actually, Hinata thought. He was so enthusiastic and filled with energy. Even though he was definitely imposing, he meant well so she couldn't help but admire his stubborn good will.

After ordering, Naruto took a seat at a nearby bench gesturing for Hinata to sit across from him so she did. She wondered how it was possible for someone to be so openly frank to a complete stranger. As puzzling as it was, Hinata couldn't help but be drawn in by the warmth of his friendliness.

"How's rooming with that bastard Sasuke?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes darting back and forth to make sure no one was listening.

"I-It's fine," she averted her eyes, not wanting to talk about her roommate. She didn't really quite know how she felt about the situation, but it was still too early for her to voice anything other than a neutral opinion.

It wasn't his fault that she felt uncomfortable around him. The fear of her disguise being found out and her lack of experience around strangers her age was what really fueled her anxiety.

"_Fine_?" Naruto seemed disappointed. "Is he bullying you?" Naruto demanded.

"Eh? N-No, not at all!"

"Don't worry, you can tell me," Naruto assured her in a hushed voice.

"There's not bullying…" Hinata said, or at least, she couldn't tell. His nonchalance and sharp tongue wasn't very different from the way people spoke to her back at home.

"That's lucky then. I was feeling really bad when I found out that you would be Sasuke's roommate. You seem like the type he would eat for breakfast," Naruto exclaimed.

"Eat me for… breakfast?" Hinata furrowed her brows in concern.

"Chew you up and spit you out!" Naruto gesticulated animatedly.

If she didn't get the meaning before, she got it after Naruto's one man show of pretending that Sasuke was strangling him. Naruto, suffocating and gasping, grasped at the edge of the wooden picnic table desperately before he dramatically collapsed dead on the floor.  
Hinata laughed as she helped Naruto back up again. He was really strange, outrageous really, but she didn't mind.

"U-Um, Naruto-kun, I'm sorry about… taking your room. I know you were living there first and…"

"Of course not, it's just a room," Naruto gave her his carefree grin. "Besides, I would rather room on the tenth floor than room on the first with Sasuke!"

"Why are you two on such bad terms?" she asked, even though she knew that the very essences of their nature were such polar opposites that they inevitably clashed.

"Okay, I'll level with you," Naruto said, suddenly serious. "It's not that I hate him, well, never mind, I hate him, but I don't _hate_ hate him," he told her. "In a weird, sick and twisted way, we're friends, well, maybe not _friends_, but you can say we're lifelong rivals."

"Rivals?" Hinata said with surprise.

Rivals like Hanabi and herself? Or perhaps, rivals like Neji and herself? But, could she really call them her rivals when she was so much weaker? She may want to be stronger than them, but how did they see her? She was a nuisance. That was all she was to them: a roadblock in their path to greatness. She was weak, but she had the power to rob the two of so much. A bitter taste formed in her mouth.

"Hey Hikaru, you okay? You suddenly got such a bad look on your face. I know, you must be thinking about your own rivals right?" Naruto nodded sympathetically. She quickly tried to correct her expression. She wondered if perhaps Sasuke saw Naruto the same way Hanabi and Neji saw her.

"Hm… something like that," Hinata replied with a faint smile.

"Well, don't let them bother you. Just do your best alright? That's really all that matters," he gave her another bright and toothy grin.

"Th-Thanks," she smiled back, feeling a little better.

Naruto, afterwards, launched into a rant about a topic she wasn't familiar with –something about fighting and training, becoming stronger. She couldn't follow a lot of his slang, but she could see very clearly that there was a blazing fire burning within him that she lacked. But by being near him, listening to him talk and by watching the way his clear blue eyes sparked with fierce determination, she felt that surely, anything was possible.

"You know," Naruto said, "I've known Sasuke since he first came here. We've been in the same class every single year since he first transferred here. You know…" Naruto said in a hushed voice, "we're kind of like each other's shadows. Our existences might annoy the crap out of each other, but we're always together. It's a very weird relationship," Naruto nodded knowingly.

"D-Does he feel the same way?"

"Huh? Well I can't speak for him, but I think so," Naruto shrugged. "He's not the type of a guy to talk about anything serious."

"He seems… very serious," Hinata said in a low voice.

"Ah, that's true," Naruto laughed. "It's hard to explain, but live with him a little longer and you'll know what I mean."

She wondered if Sasuke really did think of Naruto as rival? But, then again, Naruto was a very different person from her. She didn't need to see it know that Naruto was leagues ahead of her. She could feel it.

"I see…"

"You're thinking unnecessary things again," Naruto scolded her with a frown. "You look surprised, but it's written all over your face. Anyone could tell if they looked. Hikaru, don't take this the wrong way, but I think the only rival you have is yourself."

"You're right…" she said, wringing her hands nervously. She hadn't expected that truth to sting.

He _was_ right. Her only rival was herself. How could she have anyone else as a rival before she had overcome her own self-doubts and fears? But, she was in an impossible and paradoxical situation. She was one with power but with no power. Her life was an endless fight against herself, but the battles she fought also acted as substitutes for all the ones that others wished to fight her for, but couldn't. She had felt them, the resentment, the hatred in the air, but none dared to act on it. Instead, they have probably hit her hundreds of times in their imaginations, and for every imagined hit, she felt it by the thousands.  
Who was she really fighting against? Was it the world? Or was it merely just her own shadow, cast by her own doubts and weaknesses?

"Hey," Naruto said sternly. "Don't worry about it."

She nodded, and tried to push the negative thoughts out of her head. It wasn't very successful, but it was enough to get her through the rest of the morning. She found that being near Naruto helped relieved some of her anxiety. It was strange how he could read her so well. But that wasn't all, what really struck her about Naruto wasn't that he could read her, but that he acknowledged her. Everyone else, she knew, simply ignored her feelings.

"The ramen's here!" Naruto said happily, his serious tone returned back to his normal one. She gaped at the two large bowls being placed in front of them. "Itadakimasu!" Naruto said before digging in.

She glanced up from the humongous bowl of steaming noodles and broth to see Naruto already eating heartily, slurping the noodles up as if his mouth was a vacuum. In seconds, the ramen magically dwindled down until he was already gulping down the last of the fragrant brown broth. By the time he finished, Hinata had barely taken more than five bites.  
Naruto was starting on a second bowl when she spotted the familiar royal blue hue of Sasuke's shirt approaching from the distance. Her immediate reaction was to shrink in her seat, hoping against all hope that he was going to pass them by, but it was futile.

Although it had only been a day, she knew with certainty that as soon as Sasuke came over, the peace would be destroyed, and the two boys would start arguing and fighting all over again. It was too early in the morning, too nice of a morning and too important of a morning for Hinata to deal with their easily flared tempers.

Naruto continued eating obliviously, occasionally blurting out something or other between mouthfuls of noodles and pork. Hinata looked nervously behind his shoulder as Sasuke's halted near their table. Even with all the tension that was tightening her nerves, she was slightly taken aback by his appearance. Sasuke, illuminated by the cold morning light, appeared even more handsome than usual. His eyes seemed a shade darker than the usual cool black, and deeper. The light, instead of reflecting off his eyes and giving them a bright sheen, seemed to be absorbed by them.

She wasn't attracted to Uchiha Sasuke, but she admitted that he was _attractive_. Whether or not there was a difference, it was hard to tell, but Hinata was certain that there was. To her, he was attractive, but in a way repellent, like that of the decaying red rose.

"Funny seeing you here," he said, marginally raising an eyebrow.

"Sasuke," Naruto growled through clenched teeth. He turned in his seat to glare at the boy behind him indignantly. "What do you want?"

"What could I possibly want from _you_?"

"U-Uchiha-san, I thought you had class?" Hinata interrupted them.

Sasuke's attention shifted from Naruto to her, and then towards the large bowl of uneaten ramen sitting in front of her. He processed the scene immediately.

"I don't recall saying that I had class in the morning. Did I say I did?" he drawled sarcastically.

Hinata turned pink. "N-No, I guess you didn't."

She looked away, embarrassed and discontented by her mistaken assumptions. Her line of vision was immediately caught by the alarmingly red color of another boy's hair sitting alone several tables away from them. More so than the vivid redness of his hair, she was struck by his intense atmosphere. His concentrated gaze seemed to pierce through the air, but seemed to have no fixed target. He was thinking intently, she wondered what. Hinata was afraid that he might catch her staring at him, but he never looked her way. Was he waiting for someone? But... he seemed very much alone.

"Hey, what's your big deal?" she heard Naruto yell. She withdrew her attention from the red-haired boy and back to the two arguing ones in front of her. "Don't be such an asshole to Hikaru!"

Sasuke frowned at this suggestion, shooting a questioning glance at Hinata as if he couldn't understand why Naruto would accuse of him of such an act. Hinata wasn't sure how to react, so she didn't.

"Calligraphy," Sasuke said tersely. Hinata looked at him with some confusion, but the shocked expression Naruto's face told her that it wasn't meant for her.

"AH! I forgot I had Calligraphy really early in the morning! Crap! Gotta run!" Naruto said, standing up suddenly. Naruto hastily fished for some bills and coins from his frog wallet and slapped it onto the wooden table. "Damn it, Hikaru, I'll see you later!" he said quickly and ran off before she had a chance to say anything in return.

"What an idiot," Sasuke said shaking his head, "He's hopeless."

"Naruto-kun's not an idiot," Hinata said, surprising herself by her own tenacity. But, she meant it, someone like Sasuke couldn't even begin to understand the kind of respect she had for someone like Naruto. "Please don't say such things about him."

"Naruto-kun," he repeated gravely, glaring at her and forcing her to look away once again in discomfort. As weird as it sounded, she didn't know how to look at him. The boy from before, the one with the crimson red hair, had disappeared without her noticing.

"He is an idiot," Sasuke repeated, this time with a noncommittal shrug. "He overpaid."

"I didn't want him to, but h-he also paid for mine," she explained meekly, looking at the stack of money on the table.

"He was paying for you? Why would he do that?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Because he's nice," she replied, but for some reason it came out sounding like she was insinuating that Naruto was nice but Sasuke wasn't.

"Tch, you accepted his offer and you didn't even eat any of it," Sasuke said in an accusing tone.

On that point, she couldn't defend herself. Hinata remained silent, not sure of how to handle the situation. He had made her upset, first by intruding upon Naruto and her, then by insulting Naruto who was so nice to her, and finally, by trying to make her feel guilty for not being able to eat.

After a long drawn out silence, Sasuke, realizing that she was not going to respond, scoffed in annoyance. "Fine, whatever, I'll see you in class."

She looked up, surprised that Sasuke was going to leave without another underhanded comment, but then again, there was no accounting for his actions. He walked off as if he had grown bored of talking to her. He confused her. There were so many sides to his character, that she couldn't pinpoint what he was really like. Why, she wondered, was his behavior so erratic and different from one moment to the next?

The unfinished ramen was packed away in a plastic container, given to her by one of the ladies from the stand. Hinata took it back, dropping it off in her room before leaving for class again. Under any normal circumstance, the food would be immediately discarded, as was custom at home, but because Naruto had taken the effort to buy it for her, she wanted to make sure she ate every last bite of it, even if it would take her the rest of the day.  
Hinata arrived at class, out of breath. She was afraid of being late after her morning detour but found that she was still minutes early. However, many of her classmates were already there, gawking curiously at her as she entered through the sliding door.

The classes were divided by age, which Hinata found odd. She figured it would be more efficient if students were separated by level of skill and intelligence instead of something as insignificant as age, but she let the idea pass.

The students, most of them finding nothing of interest in Hinata, soon diverted their attentions away again. The object of the diversion were two girls, one she recognized as Sakura with her lively pink hair and the other, a clear-blue eyed girl with a whipping long blonde pony tail were arguing heatedly over none other than Uchiha Sasuke.

The boy in question wore an irritated expression on his face, not at all happy that two pretty girls were fighting over him.

"Can you both shut up?" Sasuke snapped at the two dangerously, glaring at the both of them. The two didn't hear him over their screaming over who was uglier.

Naruto waved at her, gesturing her to come sit at the empty desk near him. She smiled upon seeing him. Kiba, who she didn't see at first because his face was resting in his arms, was also sitting next to her. But, before she could make it safely to that part of the room, Sakura's hand gripped tightly around her arm, pulling her right into the eye of the storm.

"Hikaru-kun who do you think is cuter, me or that ugly pig Ino?" Sakura asked flipping her hair as if sparkles could come off of it.

Hinata glanced nervously at Ino and wondered how Sakura could possibly compare her to a pig.

"What? No way forehead girl!" Ino snapped, crossing her arms.

"Who is it?" Sakura demanded, leaning in close to Hinata's face with a fierce and frightening sheen in her eyes.

"I-I think you're both very pretty," she stammered. Neither looked happy by this passive response.

"But who is _prettier_?" Sakura said.

"Sakura, you're cheating! Of course he'll pick you if you're going to tear his arm off with your crab claws," Ino retorted.

"Mind your own business," Sakura shot Ino a glare before returning her attention back to Hinata. Her grip tightened. "Come on Hikaru-kun, its okay to tell that pig she's ugly."

"I…I…" she looked back and forth between the two girls, stuck on what to say.

The two girls, as well as the rest of the class, suddenly went quiet as Sasuke shot up from his desk.

"Hey," he warned the two. "Neither of you are worth looking at so leave him alone. Got it?"  
Ino and Sakura exchanged glances, more surprised than insulted by the unexpected interruption.

"And you," Sasuke's attention now directed at Hinata. "Go to your seat already and stop standing there like an idiot," he barked. Hinata wasn't sure whether he was doing her a favor or had managed to insult all three "girls" at once or both, but accepted it as one nonetheless and hurried away to the seat.

As soon as she started away, the class broke into conversation again, but most, as they talked, watched Hinata with a little more curiosity than they had when she first came in.

"I'm sorry Sasuke-kun! I didn't mean to bother Hikaru-kun. I was just playing around," Sakura could be heard pleading innocence to Sasuke. "Besides it was Ino's fault for trying to compare her looks to mine in the first place."

"WHAT? You're the one who asked him!" Ino shot testily. "If anyone's at fault it's you!"

As the two started back up again, Sasuke took his seat again, too jaded by their bickering to pay anymore notice of them. He rubbed his temples gingerly; the noise was giving him a headache. When Hinata had reached her seat, she showed him a grateful smile, acknowledging that he had saved her from a rather sticky situation. He saw it, but he ignored it.

"Wow I can't believe you got out of that without a few bruises," Naruto remarked. Hinata smiled faintly, unconsciously touching the area Sakura had grabbed her.

"She has a strong grip…"

"Tell me about it," Naruto said tiredly.

Sasuke, he was popular she noticed. It wasn't an outstandingly shocking fact, but it was still a little astonishing how the girls could fawn over him when his aura was radiating contempt. Hinata mused over this for a little while, trying to figure out and understand the laws of attraction. Sasuke was charismatic, Hinata told herself. People just seemed to gravitate towards him whether they liked it or not. She had found herself a dangerous roommate. Her mind eventually began to wonder what type of guy _she_ was attracted to, but before she could give it any serious thought, Kiba had awoke from his short nap.

"Oh hey, when did you get here?" he asked with a big yawn.

"Just a few minutes ago. Good morning Kiba-kun," she felt the urge to yawn too. Last night's sleep was not an easy one.

"Dear God, they're _still_ at it?" Kiba scowled, looking over at Ino and Sakura, the two were still arguing.

"I envy their enthusiasm," she said with a small smile, only partially joking.

"Please don't," Kiba said with a groan. "It's way too early."

"There's nothing wrong with being a little overenthusiastic," Naruto interrupted, "but why the hell is it all for that asshole Sasuke!"

Naruto and Kiba broke into a long rant over Sasuke and his many female fans. He was too popular, hence, taking away their spotlight. Hinata couldn't agree that being in the spotlight had any benefits, especially if one took Sasuke as an example, but she remained quiet and let the two rant on. But perhaps it was because she was inevitably always going to be the center of attention that she felt that way. Being the Hyuuga heiress meant that all her mistakes, shortcomings and faults were magnified tenfold, and she had many for her clan members, especially her father, to scrutinize over.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a girl she didn't recognize standing at the doorway peeking into the class, smiling at her. At first Hinata doubted that the smile was meant for her, but there wasn't anyone else behind her that she could have been looking at. The girl's hair was done in two round buns sitting on her head that reminded Hinata of teddy bear ears. Her eyes were a warm brown color and she seemed friendly.

"Hey Hikaru, do you know that girl? She's staring at you," Kiba said with a sly smile. "New and already have girls falling all over you, lucky bastard," Kiba said. "Life is really unfair," he smirked. Hinata shook her head furiously, blushing.

"I don't know her…" she replied.

"Wow you don't even know who she is!" Kiba said praising her even more which wasn't the response she was hoping for.

The girl suddenly walked in with a confident smile on her face right towards Hinata.

"Hey, you're Hyuuga Hikaru right?" the girl asked, standing in front of her desk.

"Y-Yes?"

"I knew it!" she said with a beaming smile. "I'm Tenten. I'm a grade higher than you. Can you meet me after class?" she asked. Everyone looked at the two with piqued interest. Even Sasuke couldn't help but turn his attention towards them. Hinata paused for a moment, unsure of how to respond to this stranger.

She could feel the eyes of the class on the back of her neck. Privacy apparently, did not exist at the school.

"May... I ask why?" Hinata finally asked.

"Meet me after class and I'll tell you," the girl said with a sneaky grin.

"Fine," Hinata gave in after another short pause.

"I'll meet you outside your classroom as soon as the bell rings, don't wander off," Tenten told her with a smile and a wink and then walked off.

The class was silent for a few seconds before breaking out into a storm of gossip which made Hinata want to disappear under her desk. Her faced burned at the misunderstanding and at all the people talking about her.

"I can't believe you were getting hit on by a cute sempai!" Kiba said shocked. "I was just kidding before but wow!" Kiba gave her a hard slap on the back.

"I don't think it's like that," Hinata said, turning redder by the second. It seemed that she would never have the opportunity to enjoy a quiet school life. Trouble and obstacles kept popping up around every corner. She wanted to avoid drawing attention, but she ended up attracting attention anyway, with or without Sasuke's help.

Before she had time to think about the meaning behind Tenten's invitation, the door slid open again to reveal a tall man in his late twenties with spiky silver hair, which she assumed was the teacher. Although, he was nothing like how she would imagine an actual teacher of a school would look like. For one, with the exception of his eyes, his whole face was covered by a black cloth. She wasn't sure whether to think he was incredibly cool or incredibly suspicious.

"Kakashi-sensei you're late!" Naruto yelled as soon as he walked in. Naruto wasn't lying when he told her that he was an attention seeker.

Kakashi apologized and spotted Hinata sitting next to him. "Oh right, we have a transfer student. Why don't you introduce yourself to everyone?" Kakashi asked her with a friendly smile, she could tell he was smiling even if his face was covered.

Hinata stood up in her seat awkwardly as the twenty or so other eyes rested eagerly on her. "I'm Hyuuga Hikaru. Pleased to meet you," she said and quickly sat back down.

"Wait a moment Hikaru-kun, we're not finished yet. Please stand back up again," Kakashi asked.

"S-Sorry," Hinata reluctantly stood up again, some snickering could be heard in the sea of faces.

"So Hikaru-kun, do you have any hobbies?" he asked.

"Cooking!" she blurted out without thinking, which caused more snickering from her fellow classmates. She blushed again, realizing that it was probably unusual for a boy to enjoy cooking so enthusiastically. She looked down embarrassed. She could hear the voices in the classroom calling her a girly boy.

"Really? Ah, that sounds good. Cooking is a wonderful skill to have. A man that enjoys cooking is always popular with women," Kakashi said chuckling to himself. "Anyways, everyone quiet down and let's begin class," he tells them. Hinata sat down gratefully, glad that her teacher came to her defense.

"So, anyway, welcome back to school everyone. I hope you all had a nice break," Kakashi continued. "I suppose we should pick up where we left off, the spring festival will begin soon with the blooming of the cherry blossoms. Like I said last time, I will be splitting the class in groups for our activity. Oh! I guess I should explain to our new student what the festival is. Basically once a year in spring we have a large festival that the whole school takes part in. It takes place over the course of a few days and every class is responsible for hosting some kind of event or stall."

"Did we vote on what we would be doing?" Naruto interrupted.

"Ahem, well if you attended class more often..." Kakashi mumbled.

"We're doing a play," Sakura answered for him.

"Lame, we should've done a haunted house or something," Naruto pouted.

"Maybe if you attended class more often," Sakura echoed.

"Ahem, enough bickering," Kakashi said. "But yes, I-ahem-we decided to do a play."

"It's because none of the other classes feel like doing one and Kakashi-sensei really wants to win first prize," Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Haha you got me," Kakashi laughed. Hinata marvelled at how casually the relationship between teacher and student was. "The first place is a trip to the hot springs, and in order to win it, we need to host the best event. So I decided before that I would split the class into three different groups. One group will be acting and staging, one will be in charge of advertising and merchandising, the last group will be working on food and drinks."

Kakashi then proceeded to read out the names for each of the groups. "Group one in charge of the performance will be Shikamaru, Kiba, Naruto, Sakura, Ino and finally... Sasuke."

Sasuke did not look happy with the decision, but Kiba whispered that it was all a marketing ploy on Kakashi's part. If they put Sasuke on stage, the most popular guy at school, they would definitely draw a lot of people in to watch their play.

After Kakashi read out all the other names for the other groups, his attention came back to Hinata.

"Hmmm... what group should I put you in Hikaru-kun?" he asked with a pleasant smile. "Well group one is short one person. How about you join them? Is that okay?"

"S-Sure," she replied weakly. Although pretty much everyone she knew in class was in that group, the last things he wanted to do was join in performing with them, but there was absolutely no way for her to refuse a teacher, no matter how casually the rest of the class acted around him.

"Very good!"

"Another marketing ploy," she heard Kiba mutter under his breath.

"Everyone please gather in your groups," Kakashi said.

Desks began to screech and people began to move as everyone began to assemble into their groups. Even though the majority of the members were sitting near Hinata's area, Sasuke refused to budge from his side of the room so they all met over there, though not without some cursing from Naruto.

Although Hinata was glad to be with familiar faces, she couldn't see how the members could actually work together peacefully. And right on cue, Ino and Sakura scooted their desks on either side of Sasuke, who became even more agitated than he already was.

Hinata glanced uneasily over at Kakashi, wondering why he would put such people in the same group, but much to her shock, he was already making himself comfortable at his desk. Kakashi had his feet propped on his desk as he leafed through a book which she could only assume was an lewd adult novel. She stared at him in disbelief. Did anyone else notice that their teacher, a person who was supposed to set an example for his students, reading an adult novel in broad daylight during the middle of class?

"Hikaru, what are you spacing out for?" Kiba asked.

"Eh? Um..." she snapped her attention back to their group.

"We should put on a magic show!" Naruto announched.

"But we're doing a play," Sakura retorted.

"We can do both!"

"No thanks," Ino remarked.

"We can always have a magic show inside the play," the person named Shikamaru replied. He had unruly spiky hair tied up and a slouching posture and facial expression that gave the impression that he was very, very bored and disinterested.

"What play are we going to do though?" Kiba asked Kakashi when he began making his rounds to check up on the groups.

"Well, generally it's the tradition for the school to rehash a version of Snow White. Because we're competing against other schools in this festival for the most outside participants, the schools plan it so they don't have overlapping plays. Here's a summary of the play that was put on last year," Kakashi replied, handing them a piece of paper. "Good luck you guys, let me know if you have any more questions," he said before leaving for the next group.  
"Well read it," Ino said impatiently.

"The play was going to roughly take up 45 minutes. The girls decided that their fairy tale would be Snow White, but with a twist. In this version of Snow White, when Snow White meets her prince in shining army for the first time, her wicked stepmother throws an apple made of steel at her, but instead of hitting her, it accidentally hits the prince in the head and knocks him out. Snow White then chases her mother away in anger. Snow White, unsure of how to wake the prince, sets out to look for the magical mirror that grants wishes. After finding it, she wished for her prince to wake up. The mirror proceeds to tell her that the only way to wake him up is to have him be kissed by another prince. The princess is outraged and threatens the mirror but decides to take the…"

"WAIT a second…" Sakura said, interrupting Shikamaru. "Why does the princess have no kiss scene?" she asked.

"Well, before we start altering the script, let's decide on the roles already so we can get started. First I'll be the director," Shikamaru offered. "I'll be the person to run everything behind stage and I can haggle the school for the materials. Sakura and Ino will have to take care of the costumes. Naruto, you will take care of the magic act and everyone else will have the duty of putting the stage together. We can all tweak the story together later," Shikamaru said. Contrary to his indifferent demeanor, Shikamaru was unexpectedly reliable.  
"But who's going to do what parts?" Naruto asked excitedly, though none of the guys particularly liked the idea of this revised Snow White either.

"We'll worry about that once we actually write the script," Shikamaru told him.

Hinata noticed that Sasuke was wearing an annoyed expression that had surpassed all the previous ones she had witnessed before. Hinata made the mistake of saying, "It sounds fun doesn't it?" in order to lighten up his mood.

"As fun as daggers ripping at my flesh," he replied in a dark tone. She remained silent, unsure of how to reply to something so morbid. Suddenly, Sasuke said, "What are you going to do about that girl after class?" he asked without facing her. Hinata was surprised that he asked, she didn't think he would care about such petty things.

"I guess I'll meet her," Hinata said, "She did ask…"

"Stupid girl…" Sasuke scoffed. Hinata was confused by this so she didn't reply, not that she had time to anyway since the bell rang for second period to begin shortly. Shikamaru went up to consult Kakashi while the class enjoyed their short break.

Hinata made her way out of class to meet the girl Tenten, but as soon as she stepped out the door the girl grabbed her by the arm and pulled our down the hallway past the crowds of people.

"W-wait" Hinata called, trying not to trip as she was dragged away.

"We need to talk in private," she said with a smile and took her to an empty classroom before shutting the door behind her. The twinkle in her eye suggested that what was to happen next wasn't going to contribute to the happy school life Hinata was hoping for. As if dropped into a roaring river, she had no hope of struggling against the flow, but that was the least of worries if she couldn't keep her head above the water.

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**Please Review! Thanks!**


	5. Domestic Drama

**A Man's World**

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A/N: I apologize if Sakura or Ino appear a bit crazy. I promise you, they will be respectable characters later on and with actual roles other than the annoying leeches on Sasuke's arm. As always, thanks for the reviews; they're much appreciated.

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**Chapter 5 Domestic Drama**

Hinata glanced nervously at the door, not that she was afraid that something bad would happen, but she wanted an escape route in case anything did.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Hinata asked Tenten. Hinata didn't understand why Tenten was so interested in her; they've never even met before.

"I think you're cute, want to go out?" Tenten asked with a grin, her white teeth showing.  
"G-Go out? You mean like... a date?" Hinata stammered, confused and mortified by the sudden proclamation.

"Yes, date," Tenten affirmed.

Everyone in class thought that this was going to happen, but not Hinata. A love confession was the last thing she had expected. She thought that Tenten surely had an alternative reason for asking to talk in private.

"Eto… I'm sorry… I'm not really… I don't even..." Hinata said, stumbling over her own words, too shocked to think of an actual response.

"You don't have to answer me now. I mean, I get it if you're a little freaked out by me but in time, in time," she said with a knowing smile, waving her index finger at her with a wink. "Okay, you should probably go back to class now," Tenten said looking at the clock in the classroom. "I'll come find you later," she said with a grin before leaving.

"Um, wait!" Hinata cried, the red going to her cheeks. Her first confession and it was by a girl, the world sure was merciless and cruel. "Why exactly do you like me?" Hinata asked, but Tenten had already disappeared down the hallway before she had the chance to ask.

Tenten had to be joking, there was no way she was serious. Though... Hinata couldn't understand why a complete stranger would suddenly come and play such a cruel joke on her. Did she do something to offend this girl without knowing? Unless... she was actually serious, but surely, that couldn't be. Hinata frowned, her heart heavy over her unusual circumstance.

After standing dazedly for a few moments, Hinata gathered what was left of her wits and made her way back to class. She wrung her hands nervously as she thought of what to do next. She would have to flat-out reject the girl. She didn't care why Tenten was doing this to her as long as she would leave her alone in peace. The last thing she expected when coming to school was drawing this kind of unwanted attention from females.

Her steps were clumsy as her mind tried to process what happened. She didn't want to think about it any longer, there was nothing she could do but to refuse Tenten. To calm herself and her mind, she stared down at her feet and count her steps as she walked back to class. Her count went a little more than forty when she saw she was drawing near to the classroom. When she had looked up, she noticed that the hall was completely empty. _I'm late_, Hinata thought dismally.

However, the hallways weren't as empty as she thought. Behind her, she could hear the sound of footsteps slowly making their way towards her. An odd chill ran down her spine when she looked back and saw the same red-haired boy from this morning almost directly behind her. She was so surprised, that she halted in her steps.

It seemed that he didn't notice her presence at all and ended up grazing her shoulder as he passed her by. His hand had been tightly clutching his forehead as if he had some terrible headache, and when he saw her, it dropped in surprise when he had finally registered her into his field of vision, looking at her as if she had suddenly materialized out of thin air.

"I-I'm sorry!" she immediately yelped, backing away from him and pressing her back against the wall.

He examined her for a split second, their eyes happening to meet in the short but psychologically charged scene in the hall. Quietly flat green irises made vivid by the unique dark bruising around his eyes met with frightened milky lavender eyes. Her heart nearly skipped a beat in fear, but it subsided when he looked away. Uninterested, he resumed walking again, almost as if he had not seen her in the first place.

Hinata let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. Something about him scared her. It was almost instinctual, but she soon forgot it after he had turned the corner. When he was no longer in sight, she almost laughed at how stupidly she reacted. Really, she was afraid for no reason! She let out a sigh. Perhaps she was just too sensitive today, it was possible, since it was her first day attending school.

Finally remembering that she was late, she rushed to her class. When she slid open the classroom door she saw that the room was completely empty! Everybody's bags were still there, but no one was present. She panicked, did something happen while she was away? Where did everyone go? She quickly left the classroom hoping to find a trace of where the other students went. She searched every floor and went outside, nobody! Sullen, she returned to the classroom. And much to her surprise and relief, she saw Sasuke darkly clad figure standing outside the classroom, his arms folded.

"I figured you would be lost," he remarked upon seeing her.

"U-Uchiha-san," she called, never more glad to see him. "I'm so glad you came back. Where is everyone?" she asked sheepishly. It was surprising, but she knew there was some niceness underneath his cold exterior.

"In the kitchen, we have a cooking class once a week. I guess they forgot to tell you because you ran out of the classroom to see that girl," he told her.

"Cooking class?" she blinked. She fished for her schedule that she had folded in her pocket. Sure enough, he was right.

"Perfect for you," he said with a smirk. She colored, remembering her earlier outburst during her introduction.

"Um… well thank you for coming back," she said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the idea that Sasuke might actually care for her well-being. But it was probably just her imagination and she let it pass, especially since he ignored all her signs of gratitude.

Sasuke gestured for her to follow him and he led the way. She followed closely behind him, noting that he stood a full head above her.

"What'd she say to you? That girl that came to see you," he asked.

"Oh, um... nothing much."

"It seemed like something to me," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well... she was probably joking, but..." Hinata wasn't sure whether it was the best idea to tell him what had happened, but seeing how he was the only one that came back for her, she decided that he earned that much. "She asked me out."

"Asked you out? Like what... on a date?" he turned to look at her, stunned. The unexpectedness of her words made him temporarily drop his poker face as he stared with inquisitive black eyes at her. But in another moment, he was back to his usual self. "Why?" he asked, now incredulous.

"I-I don't know," she replied. "I told you, I think she might've been joking..."

"Do you know her?"

"No..."

"Are you sure? You seem like the forgetful type," he said in his mocking tone.

"I'm certain!"

"Well... did you... accept?" he said warily, glancing at her curiously. She was a little taken aback by the uncertainty of which he asked, as if he was worried that she actually _did_accept it. Hinata wondered what kind of person he thought she was.

"T-There's no way I could..." she replied. "I-I don't even know her."

"Oh," he ruminated on her answer for a moment, and as expected, a rather critical comment came next. "You probably should have, it's unlikely that you would ever get another offer like that again."

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't, not with anyone," she said. She was not so foolish as to even entertain the idea of dating anyone. The heiress of the Hyuuga clan does not pick her own mate.

He didn't ask her about it, though the silence that came after her words seemed to indicate that he was at least thinking about them, or at least, she was.

"Walk faster," he mumbled after awhile. She realized that he was walking a lot slower than normally for her. He sped up and she had to take longer strides just to keep up. Sasuke had long legs, she noted.

The two continued to remain silent, but Hinata felt that it wasn't a particularly uncomfortable one anymore. She felt that for Sasuke, words were unnecessary. It was precisely because of his silence that made his charisma speak volumes.

The two arrived at the large but relatively unused indoor cafeteria and Sasuke showed her the way to the kitchen their class used on the second floor. When they opened the door people were already sitting at tables chattering away as the teacher, a tall man with facial hair and a cigarette in his mouth stood there writing something on the board with chalk.

"Hikaru! I thought you ditched or something!" Naruto called out from one of the tables, his arms waving in the air. "Come sit here!"

"Hyuuga, Uchiha, since you're both late you'll have to start on the soup by yourselves!" the teacher said gruffly. He told them that the two of them had to work together alone while the other groups had four people in them.

"Asuma-sensei is usually laid back, but he doesn't like tardiness," Naruto told Hinata as she passed by him to take a seat in an empty area with Sasuke. She had to cook with Sasuke? She wondered if he was any good. He seemed like the type that would excel at anything.

"Sorry, this is my fault," Hinata said, glancing over at Sasuke who was sitting next to her. He was looking over the soup recipe they were handed.

"If you're really sorry you cook it, I hate cooking," he said shoving the recipe in front of her. She was surprised at his reaction, but took it without question.

"Is Uchiha-san not good at cooking?"

"Would you be happy if I admit I was awful?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"I was just teasing," she said trying to give him a smile to show that she meant no harm. He took things too seriously. He really reminded her of Neji, neither could take a joke very well. In a way though, it could be considered endearing. To Hinata at least, because she was familiar with it, she found it amusing.

"What's up with that look?" he asked suspiciously.

"Look?" she asked.

"Like you're thinking something weird about me," he said as he sat in his stool watching her carefully.

"What? No, not at all!" she replied.

"And that look," he growled. "I hate that one too."

"What do you mean? What look?" she asked, exasperated.

"Like you're innocent or something. Like you're _trying_to make me look like the bad guy," he was clearly agitated now, his hands crossed defiantly over his chest as he continued with a menacing scowl.

"I-It definitely isn't on purpose," she said, looking at him with a puzzled expression. Really, what kind of person did he think she was?

"Whatever, just cook already before we get too behind," he muttered, still watching her face intently. A bit unnerved by his eyes again, she looked down and began to get to work right away.

"Sorry, I'll start now."

She stared at the recipe and started taking the vegetables out of the bowl that was set there before they had arrived. She first took out the leeks and began chopping them while she ran the water for the pot. Hinata turned the stove onto a medium heat and then placed the pot on the burner to boil the water.

She didn't mind doing all the work, but did Sasuke have to watch her do it? She was beginning to get used the idea. It became more like a little game between them. The more she acquainted herself with the idea that that was just how Sasuke was, the more she began to see that his eyes were not judging her, but simply watching her, sometimes suspiciously, but other times out of simple curiosity. It reminded her of how Neji used to be when she had first met him in their adolescence. Neji used to be a cute kid who was easily embarrassed and quite shy, but that was a long, long time ago.

"Ano… Uchiha-san can you add the cut up leek and carrots to the pot?" she asked trying to get him to participate. Then maybe he won't stare at her so much. If he stared any harder, he'll definitely figure out that she was a girl.

"Fine," he said picking up the bowl of cut up vegetables. She was surprised that he did it so obediently. He must've been a little bored of just watching her. He lifted the pot lid and the water was boiling nicely as he hovered the bowl over the pot. She saw that Sasuke was going to just throw everything in there without thinking so she grabbed his arm yelling, "Wait!"

He looked at her angrily. "Why'd you stop me?" he asked. Hinata immediately let go of his arm blushing, she always blushed whenever she did anything that seemed out of her character.

"Sorry… you were just about to throw all the carrots in…" she said a little scared of the angry expression on Sasuke's face.

"That's what you told me to do!"

"I know but you have to do it gently so you don't end up splashing boiling water all over yourself," she told him. He looked at the boiling water and then at the vegetables in the bowl.

"You should've said that early," he said, still a little angry.

"Sorry! You're right," she apologized.

"I guess I am clueless about these things after all," Sasuke said shaking his head, with a small sheepish smile. "I'll try to be more careful," he said trying again, this time doing it without splashing boiling water everywhere.

"I think if you practiced a little Uchiha-san, you would be very good at cooking," she said with an encouraging smile.

"Are you going to teach me?" Sasuke asked. His eyes caught hers, making her immediately look away. It almost sounded like he was daring her.

"Well…" she said nervously."If you want me to…" she said not sure as to whether he was joking or not.

"Why in the world do you like cooking so much anyway?" Sasuke said, a small yawn escaping his throat. Immediately, Hinata thought of how long it took Sasuke to fall asleep last night. Though he asked a very casual question she couldn't help answering seriously. She thought that out of everyone Sasuke would probably understand.

"It's because of my mom," Hinata said as she added some the soup stock and peeled shrimp to a different pot. "My mom died when I was young and since then I've always heard so many things about her. I heard that she loved cooking so I thought that maybe if I started cooking I could understand her just a little better…"

"How did she die?" he asked without censor.

Her lips parted to speak, the words were right at the tip of her tongue, but for some reason, they wouldn't come. She closed her mouth stupidly. Sasuke noticed all of it, his keen eyes seemed to see everything.

"That whole cooking just because your mom did is stupid," Sasuke said, but the look on his face told her that he didn't mean it. "You and your mom are different people. You wouldn't think the same things. You should cook because you enjoy it."

"That's true…" Hinata said with a small smile. She was happy that he was trying to cheer her up even if it didn't sound like it.

"Make something for me," he said, she looked at him startled. He wore a small smirk on his face, but his cool black eyes that stared at her showed that he was actually serious. "Show me this 'mother's' cooking that you have," he said. "I don't remember what my mom's cooking was like at all." Hinata remembered the photo that Sasuke had thrown away in his waste bin. She wondered what happened between him and his mother, but knew better than to ask when she couldn't offer an explanation of her own.

"Sure, of course. It's the least I could do after you helped me out. What do you want me to make?" she asked.

"Make me cookies," he said.

"Cookies?" she repeated, surprised by his request. Sasuke did not look like a guy that would like sweets. And with Valentine's Day coming up she wondered why he was so bent on her making cookies, she was sure that he would receive plenty of those for Valentine's Day.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, I can make them. What kind would you like?" she responded quickly. It still seemed like a strange request from one boy to another... presumably. She felt that Sasuke didn't quite treat her like a boy, but maybe it was because she didn't act enough like one. She really had to toughen up her image.

"Chocolate ones," he told her with an animated and boyish grin.

She felt odd when she saw the short glimpses into this other character of Sasuke's that he so expertly hid from the world. She hadn't known him for very long, but he most likely did not smile like that for anyone else. Though... she admitted that it was rather conceited of her to think so. But still, she felt that he wanted to be friends with her and made more of an effort to do it than he did with other people she had seen him interact with.

If she was cruel, she would've made fun of him for asking another "boy" to make him cookies, perhaps tease him that he wanted to Valentine's gift from her. That was probably what she should've done, probably what Neji would've advised her to do if he were there, but he trusted her enough to show her his smile, and that made being "a man" towards him impossible.

When she finally finished making the soup, Asuma came by to taste each pot so he could deliver a grade. It turned out that a majority of the class couldn't make a decent bowl of soup to save their life. Kiba explained to Hinata that no one really took cooking class seriously and used it as an excuse to just socialize rather than to actually learn a useful life skill.

A boy named Akimichi Chouji had the soup that got the highest grade, Hinata came in a close second. He was a plump boy with thin eyes and a large round nose who seemed quite serious about his food. But even though she was only second, it seemed most of the compliments from the class were directed to her and not towards the actual winner.

Hinata blushed at the praise as a few girls in the class surrounded her to taste a spoonful of the soup she made. Embarrassed because it was only a simple recipe of vegetable soup, she tried her best to thwart their praises.

"Hey Hikaru, your soup was really good! Sasuke's lucky to have you as a roommate," Naruto said to her a few minutes before class ended.

"I don't really think so…" she said nervously feeling Sasuke's eyes on her.

Sasuke was already surrounded by girls asking him to taste their soups and for his opinions on it. With his looks, it wasn't a surprise that he was always surrounded by girls. Perhaps that was why the girls were more interested in her cooking than Chouji's. She was a little surprised that girls would find her as an attractive male. She was also depressed by how superficial people could be. After all, Chouji had feelings too, just like everyone else. Hinata would make sure to praise him for his soup once class ended.

"I told you I didn't want any!" Sasuke snapped, and a loud sharp clash followed, piercing through the rowdy atmosphere like a sword. All activity ceased as everyone turned their attention towards him.

Sasuke had knocked Sakura's bowl out of her hand. Shards of porcelain were scattered in over a dozen pieces on the ground, seeped in the golden yellow broth along with several chunks of vegetables.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun..." Sakura spluttered between quivering lips. She was holding the slapped hand in the other, clenching it tightly to her chest as tears began to well in the corner of her round green eyes.

"I told you I don't want to try any damn soup," he said angrily. His burning black eyes made all the other girls back away, but Sakura remained where she was, trembling, unable to move. Those cold eyes seemed to dare Sakura to argue that she didn't have it coming, but of course, she said no such thing. Sakura bowed her head as the dam of tears broke and rushed down her cheeks.

"Sasuke-kun, why don't you ever accept anything I give you?" she cried. She sniffled a little, wiping her wet face with the back of her hands. Ino came towards her, putting a comforting arm around Sakura's shoulder sympathetically.

"Sasuke! How dare you make Sakura-chan cry!" Naruto yelled, finally unable to watch any longer.

He rushed into the scene and grabbed Sasuke by the collar. Sasuke quickly pushed him off. A fight was about to abrupt when Asuma came between the two.

"That's enough! Break it up!" Asuma barked, glaring at both of them furiously. "Naruto go back to your table and Sasuke, clean up this mess!"

A stream of colorful curses escaped Naruto's mouth as he went back to his table. Meanwhile, Sasuke simply scowled, glaring at both the teacher and Naruto.

"That guy's really brutal. How much more of a jerk can he be?" Hinata heard Kiba said.

Hinata had watched the whole scene carefully. The sudden outburst was a shocking contrast to Sasuke's earlier behavior and it surprised her. She was disappointed in him, his rudeness was unforgivable. Even if Sakura was persistently bothering him, he had no right to act so violently towards her.

"Is he usually like this?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Of course he is. What'd you expect? No one likes him except for the stupid airheaded girls that go crazy over his looks. I don't get why girls like jerks like him," Kiba said, shaking his head.

Did… Sasuke really have such a bad reputation with everyone? Of course she could understand why he would. Judging by his attitude and actions, it wasn't an outlandish idea. In fact, Hinata would've agreed that he had no redeeming qualities herself if she hadn't seen a different side to him beforehand.

"I don't have time for this," Sasuke said, leaving all of a sudden and refusing to the clean the floor.

"Why you-!" Asuma exclaimed angrily, biting down on his cigarette.

"I-" Hinata found herself suddenly blurting out. "I'll clean it up!" She didn't know why she offered to do such a thing. She understood that Sasuke was clearly the one at fault here and that he should be the one to clean it up. However, Hinata didn't want Sasuke to get into any more trouble. She didn't want the class to hate him when she knew that deep down he was a good person. He just didn't know how to show it.

He was a person who viewed himself as a perpetual victim. Everyone was against him, no one cared. She intuitively sensed this in him what she felt existed in hated it, this desire to protect a conceited jerk like him, but if she didn't at least try to, who would?

Everyone looked at her surprised, especially Sasuke who froze in his tracks, paralyzed by her sudden outburst.

"Hyuuga you don't have to cover for him," Asuma said with a sigh.

"I-I can do it," Hinata said as she started to pick up the broken shards of the porcelain bowl. She stopped when she saw Sasuke's shadow looming over her. He kneeled down and began helping her. He avoided looking at her but something on his face said a silent "thank you".

"Well, what are you all looking at?" Asuma barked. "Everyone go clean up your own stations as well. Class is about to end in five minutes!" As if on cue, the class went back to normal.

She exchanged a short glance with Sasuke who was now the one avoiding her gaze. Perhaps… Hinata thought, he was embarrassed? As she silently cleaned up, she entertained the idea that _she_ could make _Sasuke_feel embarrassed. She was the one who was embarrassed by drawing so much unwanted attention to herself, but it had been the right thing to do.

The bell rang for the end of the class in the middle of their cleaning up. Although the clumps of vegetables and shards of porcelain were properly disposed of, they still had to mop the soup off the floor.

"You can go," he murmured, wiping the ground with a wet rag. He sounded sorry almost.

"We're almost done," she assured him.

The two continued in silence until they finished. Sasuke remained quiet after that, almost to the point of ignoring her, but Hinata was beyond trying to understand it. They both returned to their classes.

Her other classes were very interesting. It turned out that Asuma-sensei was her Japanese teacher too. Every teacher taught a "special" class, so Hinata found it wonderful that for a man of his tough exterior to be teaching language and cooking. Her third period was with a beautiful and kind woman named Kurenai-sensei who taught everyone literature and proverbs and once a week she taught art in several different forms ranging from sketching to sculpting. For fourth period a very strange guy named Gai-sensei who reminded her of Rock Lee taught history with much pizazz, once a week he took everyone for a hike around the school. For the last class of the day she had Anko-sensei who was their physical education teacher who ranged from everywhere with her activities, it was always a surprise when she announced their activity.

She was worried about Sakura, who did not return until classes were almost over. However, it turned out when she did return, she was her normal vivacious self, still pining after Sasuke. Hinata, puzzled at her quick recovery and asked Naruto how she could still remain so upbeat after what Sasuke had done to her. Hinata would've never found the courage to show her face again. Naruto replied that Sakura was used to it and that one of her charm points was her resilience and determination. But, Hinata still did not understand. How could Sakura keep coming back to someone who treated her so disrespectfully? Hinata had never fallen in love before, but she had read that love made people blind and it certainly seemed to be the case with Sakura.

It had never occurred to her before how foolish unrequited love seemed. In her novels, it was tragically romantic and heart-wrenching. In reality, it seemed more humiliating than anything.

The rest of the day passed by quickly without anymore disturbances. That was, until the end of her class. Hinata was sitting at her seat, putting her homework in her bag, getting ready to go back to the dorms when the door slid open and Tenten stood there with a big smile on her face.

"Hikaru did you think about your answer yet?" she asked, coming in without invitation. Anyone that stood in the way, she simply shoved passed. Hinata froze. Tenten just stared back with a grin.

"Well-I'm…" Hinata was caught off guard.

"Hey! Leave him alone, he's obviously not interested!" Naruto yelled which led to a punch to his face and Naruto falling to the ground. This girl was no push-over.

"No one asked you, blondie," she sneered at him. "Well…?" Tenten asked lifting Hinata's chin with her fingers making Hinata extremely uncomfortable. Her innocent enough smile turned into a mischevious smirk.

"I-I'm not interested," Hinata said, pushing her hand away from her face. She wasn't about to allow herself to be strung along by this girl.

"Really? Do you mean that?" she said with puppy eyes.

"Sorry…" Hinata said suddenly feeling guilty. As a girl herself, Hinata knew that being rejected was not pleasant, but it was absolutely impossible for her to return her feelings.

"Well… can we be friends then?" she asked, somehow Hinata didn't believe that she was going to stop pursuing her just because she had said "no."

"O-Of course," Hinata replied, she seemed friendly enough. Besides, after years of having absolutely no friends, any were welcome, even if they were exceptionally strange.

"Can't you take no for an answer? Pathetic," Sasuke scowled from behind. He slung his bag over his shoulder and glared at the girl before taking his leave. Tenten stared at him with interest.

"Who's that?" she asked curiously. "He's cute," she said, but upon seeing the odd expression on Hinata's face, she quickly added, "but totally not my type."

"He's Uchiha Sasuke."

"Ooooh he's _the_Uchiha Sasuke. That makes total sense. I've seen him a few times before surronded by girls, but I had never put two and two together. Are you two friends?" Tenten asked.

"Well..." Hinata couldn't exactly say that they were, but she wasn't so sure they weren't either. "We're roommates," she said evasively.

"Oh really? That's very, very interesting," she said with a glimmer of mischief in her eye. "Well, we'll save that for another time. Hikaru, I know you think I'm super weird, but I'm not really. We should hang out sometime," she suggested.

"Sure..." Hinata replied hesitantly.

"How about downtown?"

"Downtown?" she repeated.

"Well it's more like a shopping plaza for tons of cool stuff. It's where students hang out on the weekends when they just want to have a little fun. You know, to get a different atmosphere besides this really quiet one," she said. Hinata could've told her otherwise, but it was more trouble than it was worth to explain all that happened today.

"Sounds fun," Hinata said. After all, her curiosity got the better of her.

"Okay I'll see you tomorrow or something, figure out when you're free!" she said running off before Hinata had a chance to say anything else. Hinata found Tenten strange; she was friendly yet she felt that Tenten had an ulterior motive. It was just too weird for her to just suddenly find her out of nowhere and declare her love.

When Hinata returned to her room, she was disappointed to find that Sasuke was not there. She had been looking forward to seeing him, even if he didn't feel the same way. In an odd way, she was beginning to feel that Sasuke was the closest person to her at this new school (aside from her cousin of course). There was a mutual understanding and maybe even trust between them that was beginning to foster. At the very least, they would look out for one another.

Upon Sasuke's desk when she looked into his study was the newspaper from earlier strewn open on his desk that told her that he had come back to the room, but only to read the newspaper before he left again. She picked it up, scanning the pages that he had left open. Her eyes widened when she saw it.

The title was labelled "The New Student Teacher", but the picture that accompanied it revealed much more. Within the small gray-toned profile picture was a man that resembled the brother she had seen in Sasuke's family photo! She quickly scanned the caption that read "Uchiha Itachi". She probably missed it earlier since she was flipping through the pages so quickly.

"Uchiha-san's… older brother?" Hinata said out loud. He was coming to this school? She wasn't a hundred percent certain, but an ominous feeling swirled around in her gut. Somehow she had a feeling Sasuke's older brother coming to the school was not an event to be celebrated...

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**Please Review and Thanks!**


	6. A Troubled Prince

**A Man's World**

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A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! For you readers, this will be a particularly eventful chapter. :)

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**Chapter 6 A Troubled Prince**

In the beginning, there really was nothing at all. There wasn't very much background information, no mention of the Uchiha family, nothing on Itachi's personality, not even his hometown was written. Hinata had to read it over a few times (it was so short anyway), to catch everything that seemed to be missing.

"Uchiha Itachi, prodigy and pride of Konoha Academy, has been learning how to fight since he was old enough to pick up a katana. His genius is unrivaled and he has recently decided to take a break from all the chaos and mayhem to come experience the joys of educating the blossoming youth that idolizes him. He will be gracing the school with his presence as a student teacher helping out the new Science teacher Orochimaru."

It was a confusing paragraph to say the least. It wasn't surprising at all that she had missed this article before, maybe Sasuke did too. He must've been startled to see it later on. Questions began forming in Hinata's mind. Nothing in the article told her who Uchiha Itachi was. Although, the more important question would probably be why they left out so much information in the first place.

The name Itachi was actually strangely familiar to her. He might, she thought, be the Uchiha clan's successor. It wouldn't have surprised her if that was the case.

She returned her attention the small picture they had. It was a bit blurry and the picture too small for her to clearly make out his face, but she could see a handsome man, a more mature version of Sasuke. His expression was neutral and completely unreadable. She wondered if the two brothers were also as similar in personality as they were in appearance.

After she was finished, she put the newspaper back down and left his study to go to her own to start on her homework. Every once in awhile, she would pause for a moment in the solitude of her room to listen at passing footsteps, wondering if they belonged to her absent roommate. But, he did not return.

Although Hinata spent the majority of her day alone, it didn't bother her at all; she was used to being alone and she had plenty of books to keep her company, but she couldn't read very much before she found herself staring idly at the wall while her mind replayed and reviewed all the events that had happened thus far.

Evening quickly came. Hinata enjoyed a nice warm bath as well as the leftover ramen from the morning. When it came time to sleep, she changed into her new "boy" pajamas and crawled underneath the covers of her bed. It was only until she was half-asleep did Sasuke return.

The door had slid slowly open, causing a weary Hinata to open one eyelid to see who it was. She glanced at the clock, it was a little before midnight, and then she looked back at the dark figure closing the door behind him. Even though it was dark, her keen vision could see the outline of a very troubled expression on Sasuke's face. He was dirty and his clothes were slightly torn. She heard him take a sharp inhale before he headed off to his bathroom. The shower faucet turned on and the low rumbling of the plumbing gurgled before the sound of spraying water drowned all everything else.

Hinata curled up in her bed, now awake and unable to go back to sleep. Something had happened to him. Should she ask him about it? But it was late, he might be tired and in even less of a talking mood than he usually was. No. She decided she would say nothing tonight. Maybe tomorrow. As for his brother, she decided it was best not to bring it up until he did. If he found it important enough to tell her about it, he would.

She tried to go back to sleep and shut her eyes tightly. She was tired and did not want to worry about all these things until at least, a good night's rest. A few minutes of concentrating on the rhythm of her breath was doing to the trick until she heard Sasuke come back into the room after his shower. The smell of hot water and soap wafted through the air as the door to the room opened.

There was a silent lull. Hinata began to feel nervous. Even in the dark, with her back turned to him, she could feel that he was probably staring at her back. Her breath unconsciously quieted until it was barely audible.

"Hey... are you awake?" she heard him say in a low voice.

She was glad that he couldn't see her face because she reddened in embarrassment after realizing how stupid she was. Of course he would suspect that she was awake if her breathing suddenly changed pace so unnaturally as soon as he came in! But she was determined to feign sleep. After a few moments pause, he had been waiting for her to make some sign, he gave up and went to his bed.

Right after Hinata had begun to drift off into sleep and a sequence of half-dreams began to play out in her head (a random chain of nonsense which she couldn't decipher even if she tried), she was startled awake by the sudden sound of struggling. She turned over to see that Sasuke was once again tossing and turning in his bed. It was worst than last night's. Invisible demons seemed to be choking him or sitting on his chest because occasionally he would swing at the air with his hand and his breath labored and sounded like a man being drowned.

Hinata was alarmed at this scene, she quickly slung off her blankets and crossed the room to wake him. There was a moment of hesitation, she was frightened by his violent movements and that disturbing expression on his face. But it was not the time and she went to his side.

She reached out cautiously to shake him, but suddenly, his hand snatched hers out of the darkness as if by reflex. Her heart nearly shot out of her chest, too stunned to scream, she just stared at him wide-eyed with her heart pounding loudly until she realized that he was still asleep! He was mistrustful, even in his sleep apparently.

Sasuke's hand dropped, hers still caged in it down to his chest, and it rested against his heaving chest. The manic pace of his racing heart gave a mighty jump upon noticing that he had her hand and his eyes flickered open, bewildered. She managed to slip her hand from his as he began to sit up in his bed. Confusion and surprise colored his eyes when he saw her, in them was also a tint of fear, almost as if he was seeing a ghost.

"What are you doing?" his voice was slightly hoarse and raspy from having just woken up. His eyebrows knit in consternation.

"Y-You were having a nightmare... so I was going to wake you up," she said, her voice decreasing in volume as she spoke.

"You weren't attacking me in my sleep?" he asked.

"No! How could you think-!" Hinata stopped when she saw his amused smirk.

"You know... no one has ever tried that before," he said, his tone strange and mysterious.

She planned to leave, but he seemed to have been able to read her mind for her grabbed her hand again. A chill ran down her spine like an animal suddenly finding itself caught in the jaws of a trap.

"W-What are you doing?" she stammered, struggling against his grip.

"Why do you blush so much? Maybe you've developed a crush on me," he said, almost with a laugh,almost joking, but all entirely too serious at the same time for the black of his eyes were darker than the night and there was nothing humorous in them.

"What-what are you talking about? That's ri-ridiculous!" she cried. It was ridiculous. There was no way that she could be having this conversation, especially not with Sasuke. "Be-Besides I'm a guy and... I don't..."

He let go of her, or more correctly, he pushed her hand away from him. Any humor that he had was gone, his smile disappeared and he looked at her with strange eyes that she could not read. For a moment, she thought she had offended him. Maybe he was interested in guys... It would certainly explain why he was so repulsed by the girls around him.

"Go to sleep and leave me alone." Sasuke cursed under his breath and turned away. Hinata withdrew from him, more than glad to return to her own side of the room.

She hid herself away under her covers, still flustered by what had just happened, but also puzzled by it. The room seemed too small all of a sudden. She laid awake until around two o'clock before she could fall asleep. Sasuke's side of the room had been quiet the whole time and she was envious that he could sleep so easily after what had just happened. At least, she thought, his nightmares had ceased for the night.

The next morning when Hinata woke, she immediately checked Sasuke's bed to see if he was there. When she saw that he wasn't, she sighed deeply in relief. She had no idea what to say or how to look if she were to face him after what had happened last night.

When Hinata arrived at school, she noticed that Sasuke was absent from his desk. She knew it couldn't have been because of last night. There was no way he would skip school just because he was too embarrassed to see her, that was more like something she would do instead if it weren't only her second day.

For first period, everyone returned to discussing and working on their festival play. Sakura made a point of mentioning how horrible it was that the prince got a kiss, but Snow White didn't. Hinata had read the original story in her fairy tales book, and it hardly resembled the one they were talking about.

"Kids from last year wrote the play," Shikamaru told her. "The traditional Snow White play was first performed ten years ago but every year we're suppose to alter and tweak it some more until it became a parody which is why it doesn't make much sense," Shikamaru said shrugging.

"What happened to the dwarves?" Naruto asked.

"It was cut out five years ago because there weren't enough people and the dwarves no longer played an important role after the third revision. It's a school tradition, did anyone read the handout I pass around?" Shikamaru asked sighing, his head resting on his hand. "Don't answer that," he said after seeing the blank expressions on everyones faces. "Anyway I'll give you all a copy of the detailed summary of last year's play, then we're suppose to add something else original to it," Shikamaru said passing around a small pile of papers.

"So basically the story is about the Prince, not Snow White, implemented in the fourth revision by the way. He's really shy and timid and wants to find a girl who is able to talk freely around him and boss him around, but he couldn't do that because he was the prince and had an image to uphold. He goes to an arranged get-together with Shirayuki's(Snow White) stepsister Yukiko and when they meet neither one would say anything because of their shyness. So when the Prince takes Yukiko home, he meets her rowdy sister who he automatically falls in love with. Shirayuki is an incredibly straightforward girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind. The two get along quite well since all Shirayuki does is boss him around but Yukiko was jealous of the two so she threw an enchanted apple at her sister to knock some common sense into her, but ends up hitting the prince instead. The apple, if it hits a man on the head, leads to eternal sleep. Shirayuki, devastated, goes to the magic mirror and asks for advice on breaking the spell. The mirror says that another man must kiss him in order to wake him. Shirayuki gets angry and breaks the mirror. Even though Shirayuki can't stand the thought of it, she was desperate. She comes up with a plan to dress the Prince in female attire and puts him in a glass coffin with a kiss me sign. The Dark Prince (opposite of the timid sleeping prince) from the North comes by and recognizes the prince and starts laughing. But his friend accidentally rushing in pushes him and the Dark Prince falls and accidentally kisses the prince. Shirayuki gets angry because when the Prince wakes up he falls in love with the other prince who kisses him. Shirayuki being furious, punched the tree nearby and a bunch of apples hit them on the head and knocked them all out save Shirayuki since she is a woman and ends up not caring anymore and leaves to go back home."

"The play is too weird," Sakura said with a pinched and displeased expression. No one looked particularly pleased at the synopsis provided, except Naruto, who couldn't stop laughing.

"Anyway... any suggestions on changes?" Shikamaru asked.

"How about the Prince turns into a girl since that would make more sense…" Naruto said.

"Hmm… I guess Shirayuki could leave the Prince in his original clothes and have his clothes transform as soon as the second prince kisses him or whatever… sounds like a lot of trouble though." Shikamaru said with a sigh.

"Okay first of all…" Kiba said, his right eyebrow twitching from annoyance. "Who the hell wants to do this kind of play? I mean none of us want any guy on guy action!" Kiba exclaimed. Murmurs of agreement went around the circle.

"Idiot," Shikamaru said rolling his eyes, "There won't be a real kiss, just close enough to make it seem like it is," he said.

"Can girls play the prince?" Ino asked excitedly.

"We could, but then who would play the Yukiko and Shirayuki?" Shikamaru asked.

"Oh," Ino said, disappointed. "How about we just take out one of the sisters?" she suggested.

"We could do that. Any other ideas?" he asked.

"Well, how many people are even going to be in the cast?" Sakura asked.

"We have Snow White, her sister, the two princes, the Dark Prince's friend and the magic mirror. That makes six, basically making use of everyone in the group. Since I'm the director as well as narrator, I won't be in the play," Shikamaru told them.

"So, shouldn't we just leave the characters as is?" Kiba asked, scratching his head. "If we take out one of the sisters, someone won't have a part."

"What if we make the magic mirror a prince too? We can just say that he was trapped in there as a curse and when the two princes fall in love, instead of Shirayuki hitting the tree and forcing them into eternal sleep again, she could go back to the mirror and break it in revenge, which ends up releasing the other prince!" Naruto exclaimed.

"That works too," Shikamaru replied. "The princess gets her kiss and the fangirls get to see guy on guy action, everyone wins. Any objections?" he asked. "Okay good," he said after no one spoke up. "We can start right away then. I'll leave the costume designs up to you two," he said to Sakura and Ino. "The rest of you will discuss the making of the set. If anyone has any questions, ask now," he said.

"What about the script?" Hikaru asked, suddenly making her voice heard.

"That's not an issue, we're only changing the ending slightly so we can do that later," Shikamaru told her.

"Who's playing who though?" Naruto asked.

"That's my homework," Shikamaru told him. She hoped it would be the Dark Prince's friend; he was the only male that didn't have a part that involved kissing.

The bell rang across the school signaling that first period was over. Shikamaru gathered everyone's papers and tidied them neatly into one stack and slipped them into his bag. She really hoped he didn't cast her as someone who stands out too much.

Hinata, about to walk into the hallway was stopped by Tenten who looked at her with an eager expression. Hinata was suspicious.

"So, it seems that I can't come play today," Tenten said sheepishly. "But, we can still go this weekend!" she declared. Hinata assumed she meant going downtown. "By the way can you meet me after school?" she added quickly.

"Um… sure," Hinata replied meekly. She would be alone with Tenten, not that she thought anything was going to happen, but she was still wary of her forwardness. There was something strange about her actions and her upbringing as the heiress made her even more cautious, though she be in disguise.

"Great!" she said, beaming.

"Tenten, stop bothering Hikaru," Neji said coming down the hallways.

"Neeeeeji…" Tenten said rolling her eyes. "I'm not going to do anything weird, besides Hikaru doesn't need your permission to go out," she said. Hinata was surprised to find that the two knew each other, but she supposed it made sense, they were in the same grade.

"C'mon Hikaru, let's go," Tenten said grabbing Hinata's arm and dragging her down the hallway away from her cousin.

"Hey don't tell him what to do!" Neji said grabbing Hinata's other free arm.

"Why? Because I'm a girl?" Tenten cried angrily. "Because I'm not from some great powerful clan?" she snapped at him.

"You're being ridiculous!" Neji said, annoyed now. "What are you talking about?"

The two stared daggers at each other. Hinata could tell they didn't have the smoothest relationship. They began to argue about something, leaving Hinata quite forgotten.

"Hey Hikaru, there you are. Let's go to class," Kiba said, grabbing one of Hinata's arms and dragging her off. She nearly stumbled over her feet as she was being pulled down the hallway. "We're going to be late for Kurenai-sensei's class if you keep talking to those two," he said leading her to the art rooms.

"Sorry," she said, even though she knew quite well they had plenty of time to get to the art room. Kiba, even though Hinata found him a bit rough around the edges, also found him very likable.

The two stepped outside, apparently the class was not in the same building as their others. The late morning sun was warm on her face, though the atmosphere was still chilly from morning. Kiba pointed out a few interesting things for her to notice.

"You see that drinking fountain over there?" he pointed.

"Yes," she replied.

"It's dirty, remember to never drink from it. It's fine for washing your hands or face, but not for drinking," he told her. "And that small wood hut over there," he said pointing to a small brown house quite a way afar, "I wouldn't go over there either. That's where the ground keeper lives and he hates kids."

"I'll be sure to avoid it," she told him. "Thank you for telling me."

"And never even think about putting a foot into the girls' dormitory, even though girls always come sneaking into the boys' dormitory like they practically live there," Kiba said, giving her a queer glance.

"I-I see," she said with a nervous smile.

"The punishment for guys is pretty severe while for girls, they just have to spend the afternoon being lectured by the principal."

"Why is it like that?" she asked, though she could hazard a guess.

"Safety obviously, but the whole thing is pretty backwards if you ask me. A guy entering the girls' dormitory would immediately be met with a bunch of hostile girls shrieking at the top of their lungs. You see, there is a power in numbers, which is why it's more dangerous for girls sneaking into the boy's dormitory. A lone girl is no match for a group of guys," Kiba told her grimly. "

"That's true. Even a strong girl like Sakura-chan could land herself into some trouble," Hinata said solemnly. "I should tell her to be more careful."

"That's futile," Kiba shook his head. "It's all because of Sasuke too."

"Uchiha-san? How so?"

"They all come to sneak glimpses at him. Some girls would probably go through a snowstorm just to get a look at his face," Kiba retorted with disgust. He looked at her seriously with a frown. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," she reassured him.

"Why did you come to this school?" he asked.

"Huh?" the question caught her off guard. "W-Why do you ask?"

"It's not because of Sasuke is it?" he said in a wary and dire tone.

"Because of U-Uchiha-san, no, no, of course not! The first time I met him was when I found out he was my roommate," she protested, stunned by his question. He looked a bit relieved by this answer, and horror struck her when she understood what he meant by asking her this, but she was a step too late in realizing it.

"Then... why are you dressed and living as a boy?" he asked. Her eyes widened. How in the world did he figure out that she was a girl? She could maybe see how Sasuke could discover her secret, but Kiba, she barely even knew him!

"W-What are you talking about?" she stammered out. She broke out into a cold sweat.

"I mean, when I first saw you I had my doubts that you were a boy, but since I thought that maybe you were just born feminine I brushed it off, but lately I've been thinking… you have to be a girl. I mean there's no doubt about it," Kiba stated.

"Wh-What makes you say that?" Hinata asked avoiding his intent stare.

"Well first of all-" but Kiba's explanation was cut off.

"I think you two should get to class. You only have a minute left." The two turned to see who caused the disturbance. Hinata nearly fell over in surprise. It was none other than Uchiha Itachi.

"C'mon Hikaru let's go," Kiba said, obviously annoyed at the interruption.

"Actually I would like to speak with your friend alone for a moment," Itachi said to Kiba before they could go anywhere.

Kiba stiffened, unable to refuse the man. Though Itachi's smile was pleasant enough, there was something intimidating about his whole atmosphere, and Kiba, whose senses were much more keen than other people's, found it impossible to go against him.

"Fine," Kiba grumbled, looking earnestly at Hinata, but had to walk off anyway. "I'll see you in class Hikaru. We can talk later..."

Hinata's heart was pounding in her ears. She was beginning to feel inevitable panic rising in her. Did he over her conversation with Kiba? She shuddered at the thought. It was already bad enough that Kiba had discovered her secret.

"Tell me your name," Itachi asked with that same pleasant smile. There was no accusation or promise of punishment in his tone so Hinata relaxed, but only slightly.

"H-Hyuuga Hikaru," she said nervously, looking fearfully up at the familiar pitch black color of his eyes. Now that she had a closer look, it was uncanny how much the brothers looked like one another, they even had the same sharp and piercing gaze. But, there were also noticeable difference, physical and otherwise. His features were more masculine, his jaw had a stronger set and his nose more aquiline than Sasuke, and there existed an undeniable power in the way he carried himself, but there was a certain awareness of his self and how it moved in relation to the world that gave him an feminine quality, like the skillfully honed maturity, ease and grace of a geisha. He made Sasuke seem rough and clumsy in comparison.

"Well I know who you are, and you probably know who I am too," he said with a smile. "You're Sasuke's roommate," he added upon seeing the color drain from her face.

"Th-That's right. You're Sasuke's older brother," she said.

"That's right. I'm Uchiha Itachi," he said with a gentle smile. "So tell me, Hikaru," she was taken aback by his informality, especially without a suffix. "How is my little brother?" She almost sighed out loud when he didn't ask her about the conversation earlier, but maybe he didn't hear it, or at least she hoped he only stopped her to ask about Sasuke and nothing else...

"U-Uchiha-san is doing okay," she said, choosing her words carefully. She wasn't exactly sure what "okay" was for Sasuke on a regular basis, she hadn't known him long enough to tell. In comparison to normal people, she would say that he was definitely not okay, but it seemed, to her at least and to everyone else, that that was normal for him.

"That is a relief. Please give him my best regards," he said with a nod, "It was nice meeting you. I'll be looking forward to seeing you again, but you should probably go to class now," he told her.

"Goodbye," she managed to utter as she quickly left for class.

She was in a daze as she watched him walk away. Itachi seemed a lot nicer and friendlier than his younger brother, not to mention... Hinata blushed, Itachi was unreasonably handsome. At the first impression, he was what her ideal Prince out of a fairy tale would be like, but possibly even more charming and alluring. Yet, there was something frighteningly ominous about him that she didn't trust. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't afraid of him.

As Hinata headed towards her class, her gut began churning again with the horrific thought of having to face Kiba again. He knew that she was a girl and she hoped to all the gods in the world that he hasn't said anything to anybody before she could have chance to talk to him about it. She thought about how and what she would say to defend her case if she was forced to admit that she was a girl.

"What'd he say to you?" Sasuke's voice snuck up behind her. She gave a yelp in surprise. She spun around bewildered. However, upon seeing Sasuke's face, she vividly recalled what had happened last night and went pink with embarrassment.

"Um… nothing really," she said quietly turning around quickly so he wouldn't notice that she was blushing, but she was afraid that he had already caught her.

"Just tell me," he said impatiently, "And why is your face so red?" he asked accusingly.

"No reason! I mean… he didn't really say anything, he just asked about you," she said walking faster and taking longer strides to get away from Sasuke who was trailing after her. She wished he wasn't so persistent. They really didn't talk about anything!

"What did you say back?" he asked catching up to her effortlessly.

"I s-said you were doing fine!" Hinata replied without turning around.

"Look at me when you're talking," Sasuke said, putting a hand on her shoulder forcing her to turn around and face him. She looked at him, a bit flustered and agitated. After seeing her face he immediately took his hand off her and took a step back which Hinata did not expect to happen. He looked... sorry, and even a bit embarrassed if she hadn't known better.

"Just don't tell him anything about me. Also, if you see him, don't speak to him again. He's not what he seems," he warned her.

"Are you not coming to class?" she called out.

"Tch, why would I?" he scoffed and started off in the direction that Itachi had left.

On a different and less insane day, Hinata would've tried convincing him to go to class, but she had other things to worry about. First, she had to deal with Kiba, then with Tenten and finally she had the play to worry about. Sasuke's older brother suddenly showing up didn't help either. She found it inevitable to stop her mind from spinning around in her mental whirlpool of stress. When she decided to go to school she didn't think that drama would also come in the same package. She sighed, school was not turning out to be as fun as she had expected.

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A/N: The arrival of Itachi~ dun dun dun. Hinata is the luckiest and unluckiest girl in the world as far as this fic is concerned. Thanks to all my reviewers! (If you guys are wondering about the lack of author notes, it's because I usually take them down after editing the chapter).

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**Please Review and Thanks!**


	7. Scent

**A Man's World**

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A/N to pre-revision readers, this chapter will be the turning point of the story as far as major changes are concerned. I apologize to my faithful readers if you dislike the new story or preferred the old one, but in order to rescue Hinata from being a complete disgrace in the future, it had to be done. Also, the story was getting a little off track. My sincerest apologies!

For new readers, if you're wondering what happened before, let's just say there was a sadistic Gaara and Hinata in a maid uniform... Of course, that's all well and good, but a bit too steep of a curve for this fic. Maybe it'll get one of it's own in the future. That was when I was young and my philosophy for writing this fic was "anything that entertained me." Now I realize that there had to be some sort of consistency to people and plot haha.

As always, R&R!

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**Chapter 7 Scent**

It was astonishing how normally he acted after he had just revealed her deepest darkest secret. He smiled naturally when she came in and she did her best to return it. Hinata felt as though she had just been stripped of all her armor in the middle of a battlefield, all she wanted to do was to run home and hide, but she had to put up the brave front and pretended to be her usual self when her classmates approached her.

"Remember to not press the brush too hard or else you'll ruin the fine tips," Hinata heard Kurenai-sensei tell the class as they began their painting session.

The whole class was packed into a bright room with blank canvases in front of them. As she stared at the white in front of her a lot of thoughts swam through her mind, not just the problem she had with Kiba but also the image of Itachi that just wouldn't leave her mind. It was a very ominous feeling. But for a few moments at least, she could temporarily forget about her problems as she absorbed her attention in painting.

She didn't have much experience with watercolors. Her father gave her calligraphy lessons, but that was the extent of her artistic abilities when it came to using a brush and ink. She found that she could draw, not gifted, but her drawings at least somewhat resembled what she intended them to. Art with color was not something that the Hyuuga had any interest in, maybe because of their closely colorless eyes they felt it necessary to only advocate for art only in black and white. Their garden too was simplicity itself. Most of the flowers that grew where white in color or in pastels. Occasionally small bright yellow and orange flowers sprouted at the fringe of the estate, but they were treated like weeds and didn't remain for long.

"It's about time to wrap it up. Good job everyone, I see we have a lot of talented artists," Kurenai said.

The clock struck for the end of the class and the bell rang across the school. Now that she had no canvas to distract herself with, she was once again faced with the dread of having to confront Kiba with her terrible secret. She had to deny his claims, no matter what. She slowly shifted nervously in her seat as Kiba approached her confidently.

"C'mon Hikaru, its lunch time," Kiba told her. She got up and followed him, scared to death. If he revealed her secret and they would send her back home and she couldn't bear to face her father with that shame.

The silence was unbearable, as each second slipped by she felt she was losing more and more control over the situation until she couldn't help blurting out, "I'm not a girl!"

"Oh yeah, I guess," Kiba said shrugging, looking at her with a puzzled look.

"Huh?" Hinata said, completely taken aback. Wasn't he just attacking her with the fact that she was a girl? Now he didn't have any trace of those accusations at all.

"It's none of my business, so you can be whatever you want," he told her with another shrug. She searched his face to see if he was joking, but he seemed serious. The confused look on her face gave him the impression that he needed to clarify further. "What I mean is… sorry about that. I didn't mean to put you in that position. I'm not going to rat you out or anything, I was just... concerned. We're still cool right?" he asked with a smile. He held out his hand, offering her a truce. Was he really not going to say anything?

She looked at him, searching his eyes for any sign of insincerity, but she found none. She wasn't sure if she could trust him, but she really wanted to. He knew her secret whether she liked it or not, it would be wiser to at least accept it and give him no reason to betray her in the future.

"Yeah… of course," Hinata said smiling back even though this whole ordeal was very confusing for her. She shook his hand and noticed how different it was from holding the hand of someone from her family and those of other females. Kiba's hands were rough, warm and much bigger than hers. His sun kissed skin clearly contrasted with Hinata's pale hand. She also couldn't help but compare it to the time Sasuke took her hand. Kiba's grip was much gentler than Sasuke's.

"Okay, let's go back together," Kiba told her, letting go of her hand. She followed him out of the arts building and towards the one their usual class building.

"A-a-ano…" Hinata murmured softly. "How did you find out?" she asked, a bit afraid of his answer, but she really had to know. What was it that made her so obviously a female?

"Well, the thing is," Kiba said warily, "I know this may sound weird, but I have a really good nose," he told her. "It's crazy I know, but to me males and females give off two very inherently different scents." Hinata was surprised. She would've never guessed that the answer would be her scent.

"How so?" she asked curiously.

"W-Well..." he reddened. "It's hard to explain, but let's just say it has something to do with pheromones." Hinata was vaguely familiar with the term, it was some invisible chemical that animals secreted in order to communicate with another. In the case of males and females... for mating.

"But you really won't say anything?" she asked, also blushing lightly.

"Of course not," he replied stubbornly. "I'm not the kind of guy to go around gossiping about others. You probably have your reasons and who am I to judge? I mean, if you think about it, people have done a lot crazier things," he said, rambling a bit now. "I mean, it's not like you're hurting anyone. Actually you're the one that should be worried, rooming with Sasuke of all people," he said, getting worked up now.

"Thank you," Hinata told him. "I'm so relieved!"

"You're welcome," he mumbled, a bit embarrassed by her strong reaction.

"But, Kiba-kun, I didn't know you were so gifted," Hinata said. "I'm envious!"

"I wouldn't say 'gifted' exactly," he said blushing a bit. "Just a little different."

"Gifted," she said decidedly. "Don't worry Kiba-kun, I too have something a little similar." Hinata felt that if it was Kiba, she could tell him. "My eyes."

"I've always wondered about your eyes…" he said admittedly.

"Are they strange?" she asked. She knew that no one outside of her clan had her eye color, but she didn't realize exactly how different they were from everyone else.

"Strange?" he laughed a bit, "They're definitely strange. But they're also pretty cool, kind of eerie like a ghost," he added.

"A… ghost?" Hinata asked, wide-eyed. "Do-do I look scary?" she asked, exasperated. She knew her eyes were a bit of an attraction to the others, but she didn't know that she actually looked "supernatural".

Kiba burst out laughing, "Scary? You're definitely not scary. I suppose ghost isn't the right word," he said scratching his head. "Maybe something more impossible if you know what I mean. Sorry, I'm not good at finding the right words," he told her.

"Rare?" she suggested.

"Yes, rare!" he said, excited now. "As you can probably tell, I'm a big dog fan. Well, it's like seeing a breed with a fur color that is totally different from the rest, that's just impossible. You're like… an albino dog!" he exclaimed. Hinata just gaped at him.

"…Albino dog," she repeated slowly. What was she supposed to make out of that? Weren't albino animals like that due to some genetic disease? Though, Hinata supposed, it wasn't too inappropriate once she thought about it.

The Hyuuga eyes weren't just for decoration. Her sight and vision were naturally elevated and she was able to see more than the average person. Although most humans were completely blind in the dark, Hinata's eyes made it possible for her to easily discern the objects around her. However, without light, she couldn't make out any colors.

"Yeah, it's super cool," he added, hoping that she didn't take offense from it.

"Thanks," she replied, though still not quite sure if she thought of "Albino dog" as a compliment.

"Anyways, we should REALLY get to class," Kiba said, checking his watch. "C'mon, we gotta make a run for it," he told her, taking off in a brisk jog.

"Hey, wait," she said, trying to keep up with him. Hinata wondered if she was getting into the habit of being chronically late now.

Now that Kiba knew her secret, Hinata was secretly relieved. It was as if a small burden had been lifted off her shoulders. Some things were too heavy to carry alone.

Oddly enough Sasuke had come back to class but was not making a point of drilling holes through her from his intense staring. On the contrary, it was Hinata whose gaze ended up drawn to Sasuke's brooding figure. Where did he go? Did he meet up with his brother? She wanted to know about Itachi and their relationship. Since Hinata was the older sibling in her family, she wondered if Sasuke thought of his brother in the same manner as Hanabi and herself. Hanabi was a rising star that had already surpassed Hinata in talent and skill. She was proud of Hanabi, but there was something melancholy about being unneeded and disliked by her younger sister.

After classes ended, she heard Tenten's familiar voice call out to her by the doorway. She was packing away her school materials when she saw her cheery face grinning at her.

"Hey Hikaru!" she shouted, giving her a friendly wave.

Hinata barely had the chance to say "Hi" before she was dragged down the hallway with Tenten knocking down anyone that was in the way. Hinata was beginning to notice a trend in these sorts of events. Every time someone dragged her off somewhere, a disastrous event was sure to follow.

"W-wait!" Hinata cried, pulling her arm back, making Tenten stop. "Where are we going?" she asked, tired of being pulled this way and that by others.

"Okay, I think it's time I told you the truth," Tenten said, not wanting to make Hinata angry.

"Truth?" Hinata said blinking a few times. She never expected that anyone would ever get down to the truth of anything. She knew that it probably had to do something with Neji with the way the two acted the other day.

"I'm guessing you probably already know," Tenten said as if reading her mind, "But I'll tell you anyway because you probably don't know the details." Hinata simply nodded for her to continue. "Okay, the whole asking you out thing was a charade to make Neji angry and I apologize if I caused you any trouble!" Tenten said classping her hands together and bowing apologetically, her eyes shut waiting for Hinata to say something. However, Hinata was too stunned to reply so Tenten went back to her upright position again.

"Um… so why did you…" Hinata ventured to ask.

"Oh that's easy!" Tenten said interrupting her. "Your idiotic cousin Neji, no offense, he said I couldn't do anything because I'm a GIRL!" Tenten said looking as if the veins on her head were going to pop any second. "A GIRL! Ahhhh! I want to kick his ASS!"

"Um… what do I have to do with it?" Hinata asked, a bit surprised by her reaction.

"Obviously it was just to piss him off. I mean if he knew that I was bothering his little cousin then he would totally blow up!" she said laughing diabolically to herself. Hinata was startled, how did she know that they were cousins? Did Neji accidentally mess up and say she was his cousin instead of brother?

"Did you just say… cousins?" Hinata asked, feeling a little sick to the stomach. Tenten looked thunderstruck at realizing her mistake. She clamped both hands over her mouth.

"Oops," she said with a sheepish laugh. "Just so you know Neji never told on you or anything," Tenten said. "I mean no one except I know this because Neji doesn't really talk to anyone in class except for me and Lee. I guess Lee wasn't paying attention, but I remembered that Neji said the only relative close to his age was a cousin and he had no siblings so I knew it was a lie as soon as you were introduced as his little brother."

"Is that all…?" Hinata asked wondering if she knew that she was also a girl.

"I know I know you're a girl right?" Tenten asked, reading her mind again. Hinata wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"Am I that obvious?" she asked, horrified. As soon as one problem was taken care of, another one immediately cropped up to take its place.

"Well kind of but not really, I mean if you say you're a boy most people won't question it so I wouldn't be too worried. Neji did say that his cousin was an 'heiress' to be exact, so I already knew. I asked Neji about it, but he refused to tell me anything about it," Tenten said, her voice becoming excited now. She turned towards Hinata with great interest. "So why are you in disguise?" she asked with an eager expression on her face.

"That's…" Hinata was unsure as to what to say. Even if she wanted to explain it, she couldn't because she didn't really understand it herself. There were some people after her and her clan was in danger; that was all she really knew. Hinata felt a bit remorseful for not taking the whole situation a little more seriously.

"Let me guess, it's because of that guy right?" Tenten asked, her eyes were gleaming.

"What guy?" Hinata asked, confused.

"Your roommate! The angsty boy with the bad attitude!" Tenten declared with a mischievous grin. "Uchiha Sasuke right? You're really brave. I thought you were kind of cowardly, but really, it takes a lot of guts to do what you're doing."

"What?" Hinata was even more confused now. "What does Uchiha-san have to do with anything…?"

"You like him right?" Tenten said with a proud smile.

"Eh!" Hinata's faced turned beet red, what was she saying?

"That's sooo cute! You're totally blushing. I so admire you now. I read something similar in this manga once, but I didn't think I'd actually meet a girl that would dress up as a boy so she could get closer to the guy she likes! You're REALLY brave, though you don't seem it," Tenten said grinning from ear to ear.

"No-No that's not it!" Hinata said. Her face was even redder now. Who would do something that insane? But Tenten was too busy squealing about how cute it was to pay any attention to her protests. Hinata was at a complete lost as to how to rectify this situation. "You're misunderstanding something!" Hinata declared.

"Oh, yes I must be," Tenten said, smiling coyly. Somehow Hinata was not convinced she really understood anything at all. After that, she burst out laughing again and all Hinata could do was watch.

"Y-You like Nejinii-san right?" Hinata blurted out suddenly, hoping it would stop her fit of giggles.

"Neji?" she said wiping away the tears she had from laughing so hard.

"Mhm," Hinata said, hoping that Tenten wouldn't get angry at her for saying something like that.

"Maybe…" Tenten said thoughtfully. "Maybe I do like him, but he definitely still needs some work," Tenten said matter-of-factly. Hinata concluded that men weren't the only strange ones, girls were too, and the perfect example would be the one right in front of her.

"Y-You like Neji-niisan?" Hinata was stupefied. She didn't really think anyone would actually fall for him. Sure he had his cool points and he was very talented, but he was so egotistical and critical that there is no one in the world that could possibly stand him for too long. But, Hinata thought, if girls could like Sasuke, they could probably like Neji too.

"Hinata, your face is so cute!" Tenten said, squeezing her cheeks. Tenten knew her name?

"It's Hikaru…" Hinata said uneasily, glancing around to make sure no one was around. Just how much did she know?

"Oops sorry," she said backing off her cheeks. "Also I've been DYING to call you Hinata, it's such a cute name. It really suits you," Tenten said.

"Please try not to be so obvious when there are other people around," Hinata said blushing from being called "cute".

"Yes of course of course! So does lover boy know?" Tenten asked.

"Lover boy?" Hinata repeated, at a loss for words. Is she referring to who she thought she was? Sasuke? Lover boy? Hinata wanted to die right there from embarrassment. If Sasuke knew they were talking about such things he would… well she couldn't even imagine how he would react.

"Yeah you know who I mean!" Tenten said. "So does he know that you're a girl?"

"No…" Hinata replied. At least she hoped he didn't know.

"Well that sucks, nothing can progress if you keep hiding your identity," Tenten scolded her.

"I don't want anything to progress!" Hinata exclaimed shaking her head furiously. Tenten on the other hand looked like she was having the time over her life.

"Ah, don't say that, I'll definitely set you two up for sure. And I'm not taking no for an answer," Tenten said giving her a wink. "I have the perfect plan but I' m not telling!" Hinata felt that she had gotten herself into some serious trouble. She knew that this was going to end up very badly on her part.

"But what about you and Neji-niisan?" Hinata asked, trying to change the subject.

"Eh… like I said he still needs some work," Tenten said.

"What kind of work?"

"Well first of all he's a sexist pig and he's really rude. He never helps me with anything and only talks to me if it benefits him in anyway. He's so obnoxious, but all the teachers still like him better than ME!" Tenten was on a fiery rant. "He gets better grades than me even though all he does is nap all day while I study my butt off and he's always insulting my idol Tsunade-sama!"

"Oh…" Hinata said, barely able to keep up with the speed of Tenten's complaints.

"But don't you worry about any of that, also I really mean no offense, but enough of that… I'll definitely help you capture the heart of Uchiha Sasuke!" Tenten declared happily.

"W-wait, you've got it all wrong!" Hinata tried telling her again, but once again, her words fell on deaf ears.

When Tenten finally left her alone, she returned to her dorm with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wondered if there was a sign on her back that said "Please make my life miserable" or something because it seemed like she was a magnet for trouble.

When she went into her room, she saw Sasuke lying on his bed reading a book. For someone who disliked reading, he sure did read a lot. Hinata wondered what type of books he actually read. She was having trouble finding the time to actually focus on any recreational reading.

Sasuke briefly looked up from his book when she came in, but said nothing. He simply returned to reading, leaving her feeling awkward and nervous. After all that has happened between the two, silence just made everything even more awkward. Hinata decided that she too would get some reading done, and grabbed one of the books she checked out from the library, a bonsai tree manual. Hinata really wanted to keep a little plant at her desk for when she was studying.

As she was reading, she couldn't help but steal glances at Sasuke. She wondered if it was possible that she could actually end up liking someone like Sasuke. Given the statistics, the odds were against her. Hinata knew there were plenty of reasons why girls would like him; he was handsome; he was talented; he was charismatic, well composed and many number of other things.

But she knew that underneath that exterior, and she knew the other girls could sense it too, there was a terrible darkness, and within it, there was a metaphor. Within Sasuke was a single wilting flower. And for that lone flower, many girls were willing to throw their lives away to protect just one of its petals from falling. Hinata felt girls too, in their own way, wished to be Knights in Shining Armor. Those girls that followed him all wanted to shed a little light into that darkness within him and perhaps, even save him from himself. But that was the reason why Hinata felt she could never fall in love with someone like Sasuke. She too, was already having enough trouble struggling with her own inner demons.

She was shaken from her thoughts by Sasuke's sudden movements. He had put his text down and began to walk out the door.

"Where are you going?" Hinata asked.

"Out," he said in an irritated voice. Was he mad at her or was he just in a bad mood? It was hard to tell. She watched him exit the room, sliding the door behind him with a loud bang.

"Baka," she said, trying the words in her mouth. They were foreign on her tongue, but it was the only word that occurred to her to say, even if she was alone. Why did he always have to push everyone away from him? She hugged her legs, resting her head on her knees. She wanted to tell him that the wall that he built around himself was loneliness trapping him in. He didn't need to be protected from the world, only from himself and no amount of walls could protect him from that.

Hinata passed the evening quietly and diligently doing homework, but when it became night she couldn't help but wonder where Sasuke was. When it was close to midnight and Sasuke had not returned, she thought that maybe she should go look for him. Her eyes worked better than most in the dark, if something had happened to him, she might be able to help.

She put on her clothes and went outside. The night chill made her shiver uncontrollably. She started conducting her search for Sasuke. However, the school grounds were vaster than she had expected. She looked around for another thirty minutes before calling it a night, Sasuke should've probably returned by now. Suddenly, on her way back to the dormitory, she felt a pair of eyes on her, she froze. Could it be the kidnapping murderer? She quickly snapped around to see who it was, but there was no one there.

But out of the corner of her eye she saw the movement of a shadow and quickly turned to catch the culprit, but again, no one was to be seen. Whoever it was, they moved very quickly. Her heart thumped faster, maybe it was a ghost? Her hands squeezed into a tight ball. She was really going insane now. She listened to the sound of her own breathing as she tried to calm herself down, but just then, she felt something tingling on her shoulder and a scream crept up her throat but hands fastened around her mouth and the gleam of black eyes found her.

"Uchiha-san!" she said relieved, but then realized she had made a mistake. It wasn't Sasuke, but Itachi.

"Were you looking for Sasuke? You look disappointed," Itachi said, letting go of her.

"Y-yeah, I was looking for him, have you seen him?" she asked flushing from embarrassment.

"Can't say I have, why, did something happen?"

"No… I don't think so," Hinata replied. "Um, by the way Uchiha…sensei, what are you doing out here so late at night?" she asked. What she really wanted to do was reprimand him for sneaking up on her, but she couldn't do that.

"I couldn't sleep," he replied simply. "But since I have nothing to do how about I help you look for my pesky little brother?" he suggested. His face remained calm, as if he didn't really think that Sasuke was actually missing.

"Okay," she said, even though she was just about to return to her room. Itachi gave her a small smile, but as it was with the other Uchiha, it was their stare that unnerved her. If she thought Sasuke's gaze was penetrating, it was nothing compared to Itachi's. But, with Itachi, there was a definite indifference in his gaze. Whereas Sasuke's eyes were always seeking and looking for something, Itachi's simply observed and scrutinized things as they were.

"Do you have any ideas where he could be?" Itachi asked.

"Not really," she said hesitantly.

"Why don't you go back and I'll look for him? It's getting late and you're a student. Besides, I'm sure you're cold," he said, facing her shivering figure. Contrary to his easy going words, his eyes were like steel, forcing her to agree. She just nodded.

"H-Hai," she said turning back. "Good night," she told him before running back to her dorm.

When she had returned, Sasuke was still not home. She checked his study just to make sure, but found no trace of him. She sighed, worried now. Hinata decided that she might as well go to sleep. It seemed that Itachi would handle Sasuke's disappearance for now. However, she found that she couldn't fall asleep. Something about Itachi disturbed her. He wasn't just taking a midnight stroll. He definitely wanted to be hidden or else Hinata would've seen him, even in the almost moonless night.

The next morning, dawn broke and Hinata realized that Sasuke was still absent. Hinata had awoke early just to make sure that he made it back safely last night, but it seemed that he didn't. She was very worried now. She got up and quickly and pulled on her clothes and a warm jacket. She had to tell someone at the school that Sasuke was missing. When she stepped out of the building she spotted Naruto walking towards the school building and she remembered he had class in the early morning.

"Naruto-kun!" she said waving her arms. He spotted her, smiled and waved back.

"Goood morning Hikaru!" he hollered waving both his arms and running towards her.

"Did you see Uchiha-san?" she asked.

"Geez you're still calling him that?" Naruto said shaking his head, "But eh, Sasuke… yeah he's in the infirmary," he told her.

"Infirmary, is he hurt?" she asked, worried. Something did happen to him then, she thought.

"No way, that bastard getting hurt?" he replied with a scoff. "No, he's just resting there, I saw him earlier. Well anyways, I gotta run, see you in class later!" Naruto told her before taking off.

Hinata rushed to the infirmary to check up on Sasuke for herself. Naruto didn't seem worried, so he couldn't have been in too bad of a shape, but she worried nonetheless. On the school grounds was a small two story clinic and hospital. When she entered, she saw a woman sitting at the front desk drinking a cup of coffee.

"Can I help you?" she asked upon seeing Hinata.

"I'm looking for Uchiha-san," she said, slightly winded from the running.

"Ah, he came in last night. He's in room 25," she told her. "It's upstairs to your right. Can you sign in first?" she said, tapping on some paper in a binder lying on the desk.

Hinata quickly scribbled her name and followed the woman's directions to Sasuke's room. She headed up the stairs and found Sasuke's room exactly as the woman had told her, directly to her right. The door was partially open and Hinata peeked in and saw Sasuke lying asleep on a white bed. She slipped into the room to take a closer look.

"That's good," she said to herself sighing. He didn't seem hurt at all. "That's odd… why does the room smell like blood and... sand?" she thought to herself out loud.

"You're too loud," a low voice growled from behind one of the curtains. Hinata nearly jumped. She hadn't expected another patient to be there. She walked past the curtain that separated the room to see the same red-haired boy that caught her eye on the first day of school.

The first thing she noticed was that he was shirtless and had a gaping red wound on his side. She felt faint from the horrendous sight of his wound. The second thing she noticed was that he had a bloody scalpel in his right hand. She froze under the sudden realization. Hinata put a hand to her mouth, feeling quite nauseous.

"Don't watch," he ordered her, but Hinata couldn't pry her eyes away. He laid his slim pale body onto the fluffed white pillows of his bed and she watched, horrified as he lifted the scalpel to his wound.

"W-what are you doing?" she said weakly.

"Surgery," he stated as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "I'm almost done," he said as he sunk the scalpel into the folds of bloody red flesh. She nearly fainted at the sight, but his face remained expressionless and if Hinata didn't know better, he seemed slightly bored.

"Why?" she asked, through clenched teeth.

He glared at her but remained silent until he pulled the scalpel out. "I need to remove a piece of metal from my side," he said. "Don't worry," he remarked upon seeing her expression, "I know what I'm doing. And…" he said, seeing her edge away. "Don't you dare think about getting a nurse," he warned her. "Hand me the cleaning alcohol behind you."

Hinata grabbed the bottle behind her and slowly dragged herself over to him, hesitantly handing it over to him. The boy seemed to be quite confident in his ability to do it himself, but she was still unsure.

"Set it down on the bed," he told her. She did.

Then, out of the blue he sunk his fingers into his wound, his face giving only the slightest hint of pain, but for all Hinata knew, it could've been intense concentration. After a few seconds that felt excruciatingly long, he pulled out a small shard of metal. He tossed it away with a flick of his wrist.

"Usually one shouldn't take out an embedded object," he said, as if he was giving a lecture. She watched as he began to clean his wound. "If, for example, you're hit by a bullet, it's much safer to leave it in. The heat from a bullet is self-sterilizing," he added. "But if you need to have it taken out, it's best left to professionals. In this case, if I left in this piece of copper, I might get sick."

Hinata wasn't sure what to say exactly, except that she agreed. She had read about toxic metals before. However, what she wanted was to leave the room, perhaps tell him he's insane before running away, but all she could do was stand there stupidly and watch him dress his wound. After he finished, he got up to wash his hands in the sink.

"Is there something you wanted?" he asked. His eyes narrowed and Hinata couldn't help but notice how dark the circles around his eyes were, almost as if the skin was charred instead of simply bruised from lack of sleep. But the color heightened the pale green of his eyes.

"N-no," she stuttered.

"Then I'll leave first," he said in a slow drawl. He grabbed a black t-shirt that was lying on the bed and pulled it over his head. His body was thin, but there was sinewy muscle underneath his pale skin. He was a person of extreme contrast that was visually fascinating to stare at.

As he passed by her, she once again noticed the fragrant smell of sand, the scent overpowered the smell of disinfect and blood that lingered in the air. She watched him disappear out of her sight and she let out a deep and relieved sigh as if a storm had just passed. She was pretty sure that he was absolutely insane and hoped to never meet him ever again.

Hinata went back to Sasuke's bedside. He was still sleeping, oblivious to anything that had just happened. She pulled up one of the chairs from against the wall and sat next to him. She needed to clear her head. Her stomach was still churning and she felt a devastating headache encroaching.

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A/N: Hmm so we get to see a bit more of what Gaara's all about. Love him or hate him, he always manages to leave a strong impression doesn't he? I'm not entirely certain, but there will probably be some Gaahina in this fic... most likely... Gaara is a fun character to write about, but it's awfully hard to write him into a romance. I mean, can you picture this kid who is doing surgery on himself blushing from holding hands? (then again... maybe you can?) Also, yes, guns do exist in this world, but only pretty weak ones. Nothing too advanced... let's just try not to think about it too hard, it's romance.

As you can see, I try to name the chapter title with a reoccurring theme throughout the whole chapter.

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**Please Review and Thanks!**


	8. Between Sleeping & Waking

**A Man's World**

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A/N: When you get there, you should look up the white opal, it's very pretty. As always, thank you for the kind and encouraging reviews.

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**Chapter 8 Between Sleeping & Waking**

Hinata had a dream. She awoke in her dream to find herself situated in an empty desert entirely of white sand. She was standing on top of a particularly tall sand dune watching the wind peel off, like a knife, layer after layer of sand. For as far as her eyes could see, there were only hilly sand dunes on the backdrop of a yawning twilight blue sky. She sat down carefully upon the warm sand, and for the longest time, she just watched as the color of the sky drain down past the horizon.

But, suddenly, she felt the presence of someone was sitting next to her. She glanced to her right and caught Sasuke's side profile in her vision of sight. He had appeared there as if by magic, perhaps created by the flowing sands, maybe an optical illusion as happens to lost travellers in search of an oasis. She was not surprised to see him materialize right next to her; in fact, Hinata felt that he had always been there, but she had simply failed to notice.

Sasuke's expression was one deep in thought. His brows were drawn together as if in serious contemplation. His finely drawn jaw line, that was usually tightly clenched, was a bit more slackened in her dream. His pale complexion was illuminated by the setting desert sun, creating a light glowing affect on his skin. For awhile, Hinata was just satisfied looking at him while his eyes were fixed on the distant horizon. Maybe that was a secret desire that she had always harbored, to be able study Sasuke's face without him looking back at her.

"Uchiha-san," she said, finally breaking the silence as well as the spell that kept him still for her. "What are you doing here?" she asked. He tilted his head slightly to look at her, his black eyes of obsidian meeting her eyes of white opal. He remained silent for awhile, simply staring intensely into her eyes, but in the realm of her own dream, Hinata was not scared and returned his gaze.

"To kill you," he finally said, the words forming slowly upon his lips. There was neither malignance nor ill-intent in his eyes as he said this, as if this decision, this promise had been formed since the beginning of time. Once time comes to its end, all that would be left was an eternal desert. Hinata did not feel scared and in an odd way, she had expected it, perhaps even waited for it.

"With a cold-," he began to say.

"-chrome knife," she finished for him.

"Right here," he said breathily, his fingers gently brushing against her side. She let them linger for a few moments, until she felt the undesirable pressure of him pressing too hard. She pushed his hand away abruptly, but he kept trying to place it back, so she kept trying to push it away.

"Hey," Sasuke said angrily. "Get up already!"

Suddenly, the sand around her began to evaporate. Sasuke had disappeared. She slipped from her dream like the white sand being lifted by wind into the desert sky. Her consciousness came back to her in the form of an aching back and a series of tremors from someone shaking her. Her eyes fluttered open in a flurry to see an unfocused image of two black obsidian stones.

"Obsidian," she said, her voice sounding distant to her ears. "Don't cut me yet," she mumbled sleepily.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke gave her another shake and Hinata dropped out of her chair onto the hard ground, quite awake now.

"What are you doing?" she cried angrily from the floor.

"Sorry, but you weren't waking up," Sasuke said, looking down at her with an perplexed expression. "Who's going to cut you?"

"No one," she shot back, still upset. She picked herself back up and brushed off any dust that may have landed on her clothes.

"Forget I asked," he said with a sigh. "By the way, how did you know I was here?" he asked.

"Naruto-kun told me. So, why didn't you come back last night?" she asked, looking at him curiously as she took her seat again in the chair.

"I just didn't," he said darkly, deftly avoiding her gaze.

"You should've told me," she said with a yawn. "I went out looking for you too," she told him.

"Why?" he looked surprised. The expression reminded her of when he acted so strangely two nights ago.

"I was worried," she stated bluntly. "I thought something might've happened to you."

For a moment, Sasuke had an indescribable expression on his face that suggested he might've been touched and alarmed at the same time. Either way, her words of concern didn't appear to leave the best impression on him.

"Tch, don't say such disgusting things," he said with a biting tone. "But," he continued. "I'm sorry." However, before Hinata had anytime to absorb his heartfelt, or at least close to heartfelt, apology, Sasuke added coldly, "but what I do is none of your business."

Hinata's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. One moment he was remorseful and the next he was clearly angry with her. She didn't know how to deal with Sasuke; he was like an unpredictably moody child. Hinata couldn't help but recall her strange desert dream and Sasuke's words in it.

"Just worry about yourself next time," he tersely added, after realizing that she was not planning on replying to his words.

"We should get ready for class, Uchiha-san," she said suddenly, getting out of her seat. "But, of course, you're right. You usually are," she said forcing her lips to curve into a smile. She couldn't shake off the ominous remnants of her dream that had suddenly possessed her. "Well, I'll be heading back first," she added hastily, and left him there, once again, surprised.

When she opened the door, a breeze of fresh air reached her nose, making her realize that the room they were in still smelled of sand or more appropriately, the desert. Images of the red-haired boy's face surfaced in her mind. She ignored them. The last thing she wanted to think about was that disturbing scene from earlier. She wondered if Sasuke even knew that he was in the room with him, but it didn't seem like he did.

The sun had barely risen past the horizon when Hinata left the hospital. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that she had not accidentally slept through any of her classes. Hinata lightly jogged back to her dorm to grab her bag before heading off to school.

Hinata could barely pay attention in class. There were too many competing thoughts surfacing and resurfacing in her mind. Sasuke had oddly not shown up to class. Maybe something did happen to him and he had simply lied about it. She had left in such a hurry that she had forgotten to ask him why he was in the infirmary at all. But, she doubted he would've given her a straight answer. Hinata had learned that when it came to Sasuke, to never take any of his words for face value. Every time Hinata built a preconception about Sasuke's character, he seemed to always break it, leaving her once again confused.

"Hey, Hikaru, you seem out of it today," Kiba remarked during lunch break.

"Do I?" she asked with a weak smile. "I'm just tried," she assured him. She watched Naruto, who was across from her, gulp down his bowl of ramen.

"It's because you're not eating enough," Naruto said after finishing his second bowl. "In order to live a good life, one has to have good food," he declared, pointing his chopsticks at her.

"He's got a point," Kiba said, looking down at her barely untouched ramen bowl. "If you don't like ramen, you could always get something else," Kiba suggested.

"Eh?" Hinata certainly did not want to give them the impression she didn't like ramen. "Oh no, I love ramen…" she said, taking a few bites to prove her point. Naruto smiled approvingly. She didn't dislike ramen, but that wasn't why she ate it for lunch every day: it was the food that brought her closer to Naruto. She had a lot to learn from the vivacious boy.

As they were eating, she spotted the familiar poised stance of Neji hovering near her. She coughed, nearly choking on her noodles. Neji's stealth never failed to catch her off guard. She grabbed one the napkins to wipe the soup off her mouth.

"What are you eating?" he asked, his eyes narrowing in disgust at the sight of the bowl of noodles.

"Ramen," Hinata replied meekly through her napkin. Naruto and Kiba watched the two in curious silence.

"I suppose the more precise question would be why you are eating it," Neji said reaching for Hinata's chopsticks. He fished out a few strands of the yellow noodle, inspecting it closely. It was evident to everyone there that it did not did not meet his appraised standards.

"I-Its fine, Neji-niisan," she cried, reaching for her chopsticks. He was making a complete fool out of her in front of her friends. "I want to eat it," she said, managing to get her chopsticks back into her hand. Neji stared hard at her, as if hoping she would change her mind.

"You have to-" he began to say but he was cut off by another boy who was waiting for him.

"Hyuuga-san, come on, we'll miss it!" he called. Neji's brow knitted in consternation, uncomfortable with leaving Hinata to her meal, but had no choice.

"And for dinner?" Neji asked.

"I make my dinner," she quickly responded, wishing he would just leave already. It was actually a lie. For dinner, she simply reheated the leftover ramen for lunch. Out of all the times she could've used Neji's presence since she had arrived at school, he chose the most unnecessary time to show up. She understood his concern, but she couldn't help but feel it wasn't so much for her health as much as it was for preserving the upright Hyuuga image.

"That is relieving," he said, but from his expression, Hinata could clearly tell he was unconvinced. "But I will come talk to you later," he said, a clear warning in his eyes.

"Fine," Hinata said, she just wanted him to hurry up and leave her be.

As soon as he left, both Kiba and Naruto heaved a relieved sigh.

"Wait, he's your brother?" Kiba asked. She nodded.

"What, really?" the two exclaimed in unison, staring at her in disbelief.

"What of it?" she asked, puzzled by their reaction.

"Everyone knows Hyuuga Neji," Naruto told her. "He's ridiculously strong. Of course, not stronger than me, but still I wouldn't want to fight him again," Naruto said shuddering. "It's not worth winning against him if I come out with most of my bones broken," he said.

"Broken bones?" Hinata gasped, staring at Naruto. She had no idea that Neji was so violent.

"Well, it's nothing. I sent him to the hospital too," Naruto said cheekily. Hinata was at a loss as to how to respond. How could breaking bones and sending each other to the hospital be mentioned so casually? "Besides," Naruto said. "You're his younger brother right? I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Even for how you look, I bet you're pretty strong right?" Naruto asked.

"Eh? No way. I can't fight," she replied dejectedly. Her father tried to teach her a few moves of self defense when she was younger, but he quickly gave up. Ever since then, the topic was never brought up for her, even though her clan was famous for its unique fighting technique.

"Seriously?" Naruto was shocked. "And Neji is your older brother?" he asked, incredulously.

"I, well…" she stammered.

"Hey give Hikaru a break," Kiba said, thwacking Naruto's head. "Not everyone talks with their fists," Kiba frowned.

Hinata looked gratefully at Kiba for coming to her defense. She didn't understand why men placed such emphasis on fighting. After all, in the end, both parties ended up hurt and rarely anything was ever resolved as a result. Hinata understood that the world was dangerous and some knowledge of martial arts was appropriate for the sake of defending one's self, but anymore than that was simply excessive.

After lunch was over, the three returned to the classrooms. Hinata tried her best to focus during Anko-sensei's lecture on building fires. The class lecture took place outside in the woods near the school.

"One of the easiest ways to start a fire is simply with a knife and a stone," she told them, holding up her knife and a rock she picked off the ground. "The best type of stone to use is a chert stone, the stronger the rock the better," she added.

Hinata hurriedly scribbled the notes into her notebook, but she felt her headache from the morning coming back from staring at the bright glare of the reflected sunlight upon the paper.

"It's much easier if you use a rock with a relatively sharp edge. You then strike the blade to create sparks. But, before I demonstrate for you, we need to learn how to build a decent tinder bed to catch the sparks. Remember to consider the wind when building a fire."

Hinata, feeling slightly light headed leaned against a nearby tree as she watched Anko-sensei gather wood shavings for her fire. She inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air of the golden spring afternoon. There was something relaxing in resting against the cold sturdiness of a tree. Her mind began to wander again as she stared at the dancing shadows caused by the fluttering of the leaves and branches of the tree swaying in the wind. She decided that if she were to be reborn again, she wanted to be a tree, although she wasn't sure if that was even allowed.

As class ended, Hinata decided to head back to the dorms. Kiba said he would join her, while Naruto told the two that he wanted to get another bowl of ramen before heading off to "train".

"That was a really interesting lesson from Anko-sensei," Hinata said, trying to make small talk, but she wasn't entirely in the mood. She couldn't stop her mind from glazing over the immediate details of the present.

"Yeah, she always has interesting lessons," Kiba agreed. "By the way," he said, looking at her curiously. "I think you're getting sick."

"I'm just a little tired," she stated simply. "I'm not sick; at least, I don't think so."

"Well, maybe not right now, but at this rate, you're going to get sick," he said. "You should take it easy and get some rest," he told her. He gave her a slight encouraging smile.

"You're right," she said, returning his smile with an uneasy one. "I think I do need to rest a bit."

When Hinata returned to her room, she plopped down onto her bed, relishing in the comforting softness of the white linen. She wondered where Sasuke went when he didn't go to school. Her eyes landed on his empty bed. Where was he now? What was his life like? She couldn't help these thoughts from surfacing. Perhaps, she thought, she really shouldn't involve herself with him anymore. She just wanted a peaceful life where she could freely dream the days away. Like a lotus sitting in a pond, she just wanted to drift with the current of calm waters.

With these comforting images, Hinata drifted off into a light sleep. She was awoken by the sudden snap of the door closing. She knew it was Sasuke because of sound of his footsteps; they were light and controlled. With the last shreds of her consciousness she couldn't help but find it humorous that she was already so used to hearing the sound of Sasuke walking around in their room. And for some odd reason unknown to her, she found comfort in familiar sound. But her head was heavy and sleep overtook her once more.

When Hinata awoke again, her whole body throbbed, particularly her head. She glanced at her clock; she had been asleep for at least four hours. It was already late evening. Hinata groaned inwardly, she had slept the day away. Sasuke's back was turned to her as he worked at his desk. She noticed that the sapphire blue hue of Sasuke's shirt matched the evening sky.

A lonely back, she thought. Who was this boy that discarded his own family photo as if it were trash? Hinata kept making the promise to not get involved for her own sake, but in the end her conscious kept betraying her. To be alone is painful, but to still be alone when around others was an entirely different level of pain, one desolate and as biting as harsh winter frost.

"When did you get back?" she asked, breaking the heavy veil of silence between them.

"Awhile ago. You were asleep," he promptly replied.

"Oh. Are you okay?" she murmured. "You didn't come to class today."

"I'm fine."

"That's good." She considered pressing him further for answers, but decided that if he didn't want to offer an explanation, it wasn't her place to force it out of him.

Hinata walked to the bathroom, deciding that she may as well take a nice bath to soothe her aching body. Her reflection caught her eye as she passed the mirror. She paused, patting down loose strands of hair. Without her bangs, she saw quite a resemblance to herself and her younger sister Hanabi. However, she was missing the determination that was apparent in her sister's eyes but not her own. Prying her attention from the mirror, she started the water running in her bath. Wisps of steam arose from the hot water, tenderly warming the chilly air. Her finger tips skimmed the surface of the water, creating ripples through across it as she checked the temperature. When she decided the water had cooled off adequately so that it wouldn't scald her, she lowered herself in the tub.

She realized that Kiba was right. She was probably starting to get sick. Although the warm water soothed her body, it could not alleviate the pounding in her head. Even immersed within the water, there was a hard icy coldness resting in her heart that the heat couldn't reach. She thought about everything that had happened so far, replayed it vividly in her mind and felt despair overcoming her with each strand of memory she recalled. Her head pounded miserably and her body still shivered even when immersed in hot water. For the first time since arriving, Hinata wanted to go home.

There was no place for her in a man's world.

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A/N: If you thought everything was happening a little too quickly, you aren't the only one. Poor Hinata is getting sick from the stress. And... if anyone wants to take a crack at deciphering the dream, go ahead. And no, the dream is not JUST a dream, it does symbolize something, but whether it's foreshadowing or simply a result of Hinata's subconscious is... well... up for you to figure out.

I apologize for the super short chapter, I realize after rereading it that not much actually happens, but I guess... it is the slither of a moment between sleeping and waking so it's supposed to be short haha (.cough).

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**Please Review and Thanks!**


	9. Inspiration

**A Man's World**

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A/N: How typical for me to get sick while I was writing about Hinata being sick.

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**Chapter 9 Inspiration**

When morning came for Hinata the next day, there was not a trace of doubt left that she was indeed sick. Her whole body felt as though it was weighed down by lead. She could barely move her limbs from beneath her covers. Hinata could never recall a time in her life where she had been this miserable. Her whole body was burning as if it was slowly being overcooked in an oven yet she had chills running down all throughout her body. Well, Hinata thought, at least her headache was gone.

With strenuous effort, Hinata managed to roll onto her side to get a good glimpse of her clock. Once she made out the time, she gasped, alarmed. She immediately flung the covers off of her and ran to the bathroom. _She was late!_ She halted when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her face was flushed with a slight fever. Under any other circumstance, she would not get out of bed, but she couldn't just _miss_school. She quickly brushed through her black hair and that had finally dipped past shoulder length.

For a moment Hinata simply stared at her hair. She couldn't decide what to do with it. Would she look more masculine if she let her hair down? Neji's hair was longer than hers and no one had _ever_ mistaken him for a girl. Or, she thought, should she just leave it in a ponytail? Shikamaru had his hair tied up and no one thought it _unmanly_of him to do so. And what about Sasuke's older brother, Hinata thought desperately. Hinata wondered if it was time to go to a hair stylist to get a more boyish cut.

"Stop driving yourself insane," Hinata ordered herself in front of the mirror. She tried to practice her best "tough" face, but she just ended up looking like Hanabi when someone took the piece of chicken she wanted at dinner; she looked more like a spoiled child pouting than an intimidating teenage boy.

After a few more minutes, she surrendered the mirror so she could go grab a change of clothes. When she stepped back into the room, Sasuke was standing with his back to her checking something in one of his notebooks. When he heard her footsteps, he rotated his head just enough to give her a sidelong glance.

"Where are you going?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

"School," she told him as she reached for a change of clothes in her closet.

"You're sick," Sasuke stated, putting his notebook away.

"I'm not _that_sick," Hinata told him, trying to laugh his words away, but instead ended up coughing.

"You're sick," he repeated.

"I can still attend class," Hinata argued. "Does it really matter anyway?" Honestly, Hinata didn't feel like doing anything but crawling back into her bed, but there was no way she could miss school. Attending school was her _dream_.

"Of course it matters," he muttered, making Hinata arch an eyebrow of her own.

"If you go to school sick, you might end up spreading your germs," he quickly added after noticing her change in expression.

"That's true… but I really don't want to miss school," Hinata sighed deeply, taking a seat upon her bed.

"I… can take notes for you," Sasuke offered, looking a bit embarrassed at the suggestion. Hinata gaped at him; he certainly was acting weird this morning. It was also a pleasant surprise to hear that he was actually going to attend class after missing it for two days in a row.

"Oh," Hinata said, fingering her bed sheets longingly. "That's true, then… thanks. I'll leave it to you then," she said with an agreeable smile.

"Alright, I'll be leaving then," he took his bag and started away.

"Bye," Hinata called out as she watched him disappear as the door shut behind him.

Hinata climbed back into bed, still feeling a bit guilty for not going to class. But, Sasuske seemed adamant about her staying put, even enough to offer her his notes. There was no way she could've actually out right refuse him if he actually thought that it would be better for her to stay in bed and rest.

For the rest of the early morning, Hinata spent the majority of her time drifting in and out of sleep. Still, she couldn't help worrying about her classes. She also hoped that she wasn't worrying any of her classmates or friends. When Hinata felt that she had enough sleep, she decided to go look through the things she brought from home.

In her closet she pulled out a trunk she had yet to unpack, mainly because they weren't things she could really allow anyone to see. Hinata carried the key to it around her neck, which she kept hidden in her shirt. She unlocked the trunk and lifted up the lid. The first thing she noticed was her stuffed kitsune (A/N: nine-tailed fox) plush doll that she had had since she was a child. She smiled nostalgically as she took the doll out. She gave it a quick squeeze and a pat on the head before placing it back into the trunk. Underneath the doll was a discreetly small box where she kept her feminine products. Next to it was a small stack of letters when she begged Neji to write to her from school. There weren't very many, but Neji, without fail, always sent her a letter home for her birthday. Next to the letters were a few framed photos, mainly of her father, Hanabi and herself. She had only one with her mother in it.

Suddenly remembering Sasuke's family picture, she went to retrieve it from the unused notebook where she left it. She grabbed the photo and decided that it would be best to put it in the trunk in case Sasuke found it. She would return it in the future, but for now, she'll keep it safe for him. She slipped it in between Neji's letters.

There were many other miscellaneous items in the trunk, but Hinata didn't have the heart to pull them out. Many of the items were reminders of her deceased mother, but she couldn't bear to look at them now. Although her father had always told her that she had died conceiving Hanabi and that was always what Hinata told others, she knew that the truth was not so simple.

She closed the trunk. Nothing in life was very simple anymore, Hinata thought as she pushed the trunk back into the darkness of her closet. She closed the door and decided to head back to bed, but a voice called out from the other side of her door.

"Hey Hikaru, its Kiba!" Hinata was honestly startled that she actually had a visitor. She glanced at the clock and noticed that should be about lunchtime.

Hinata went to the door, sliding it open. "Kiba-kun, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I heard you were sick so I came to visit you," he told her with a beaming grin.

"I-I'm fine," she said, blushing a bit, but it was unnoticeable since her face was already pink from her slight fever.

"Actually, I'm afraid I have some pretty bad news," Kiba said with a sigh. "Shikamaru decided on the cast for the play today. You're going to do the part of the Prince."

"Oh," Somehow, it did not come as much of a shock to Hinata. "I-I don't mind, I guess. I'm just afraid I'll mess up the role. Who is playing the other roles?" she asked. She was honestly too tired and sick to give it much thought.

"Well, Sakura is going to play Shirayuki," Kiba said. Hinata was once again, not surprised, Sakura did fit the role. "Naruto is the magic mirror," she couldn't stifle a small laugh at hearing that. "Ino is going to play the role of Shirayuki's sister and well…" Kiba began to trail off, looking a bit solemn.

"Are you playing the Dark Prince?" Hinata asked, though she already knew the answer to that.

"I wish," Kiba stated, and for some reason Hinata's heart rate sped up a few beats. "Actually… Sasuke is playing him," Kiba told her darkly. "I tried to argue with Shikamaru, but he said to take it up with Sasuke and well… you can probably guess what happened after that.

"Hm, it doesn't sound like Uchiha-san to take on a bigger role when he doesn't have to," she replied.

"That's true," Kiba laughed rather nervously, making Hinata bit suspicious. "I know I've seen your room before, but I'm still amazed at how big it is," Kiba said, quickly changing the subject. "It's really neat too," he said.

"Uchiha-san dislikes dirty things," Hinata said with a soft chuckle.

"What's it like living with that guy? I mean… won't he find out..?" Kiba asked, hinting at her real gender.

"Luckily Uchiha-san is a private person, he tends to keep to himself," she told him.

"That's true," Kiba agreed. "Though you two seem to be pretty good friends, at least, for how long you've known each other."

"I don't think that's the case," she said solemnly.

"No, it's true," Kiba said seriously. "If you see how that guy normally treats other people, you would notice it right away. He's pretty ruthless to both genders." Hinata couldn't help but recall that moment when Sasuke had knocked the bowl out of Sakura's hands.

"… It's probably because we have to live together," she explained, although she too wondered why Sasuke treated her so nicely. Undoubtedly there were moments when Sasuke would be cold towards her, but that was the extent of it.

"Well, I should probably start heading back," he said, checking his watch.

"Kiba-kun, don't forget to get something to eat before you head back," Hinata told him, escorting him to the door.

"Hey, don't worry about me. You're the one who's sick," he said with a charming grin.

They exchanged goodbyes. After Kiba left, she couldn't help thinking that if anyone was a prince, it would be Kiba. He was so incredibly kind, generous, considerate and thoughtful. Hinata couldn't help but feel she was very fortunate that Kiba wanted to be her friend.

After classes were dismissed Hinata received a few more visitors. First to stop by to check up on her was Tenten, who brought her a basket of fruit. Tenten told her that it was actually Neji who had bought the fruit, but she was simply delivering it because Neji was busy. They also had a nice laugh over the image of Neji holding a fruit basket.

Naruto stopped by shortly afterwards, coming in without warning and frightening Hinata. The blonde boy in his usual lively self, forgot to knock or say anything before he stormed in. Hinata was in the middle of reading her bonsai manual when he came in, startling her to the point of making her drop her book.

"Oops, sorry," Naruto said sheepishly.

"N-no, it's okay Naruto-kun," she said, trying to calm her thumping heart. She picked up her fallen book and placed it on her bedside table.

"I heard from the others that you were sick, and they weren't lying," he said, examining her face. "I told you, if you want to stay healthy like me, you need to eat well," Naruto lectured her.

"You're right Naruto-kun," Hinata said. "I-I didn't eat properly," she wasn't sure why she was feeling so nervous all of a sudden. Maybe it was because it was the first time she had ever been alone with Naruto without any one else around.

"You have to eat the whole ramen bowl next time," he said. She nodded. "Good."

"Naruto-kun, how was school?" she asked.

"Boring," Naruto replied. "But Kiba and Sasuke got into this huge argument over the roles. Oh yeah, did anyone tell you about that? Shikamaru picked the roles today," he said excitedly. "I'm going to be the mirror."

"Yeah, Kiba-kun stopped by at lunch and he told me about the roles…"

"Oh, yeah you're really unlucky Hikaru," Naruto laughed, making Hinata a bit depressed. "To be stuck as the prince. But hey, at least you get along with Sasuke. I think if it was any other guy, there would be a lot of issues."

"Naruto-kun, why do you think…" she wanted to ask him why Sasuke treated her so nicely while he mistreated others, but thought it was too inappropriate and also quite self-centered to ask. "Nevermind."

"You know, if you got something that's bothering you, you can always tell me," Naruto said, his voice suddenly becoming serious. "There's no use in carrying all that baggage on your own. You can rely on me because I'm strong," his usual boyish grin returning to his face.

For a moment Hinata just remained silent as she digested his words. There were so many things on her chest, but she couldn't possibly burden Naruto with her ridiculous worries. But, still, she appreciated his offer more than he could possibly ever know.

"Thanks, Naruto-kun," she said with a grateful smile.

After Naruto had left, Hinata decided to do some light reading while she waited for Sasuke. Thanks to the fruits Tenten had brought over, she felt a bit better after eating something with actual nutritional substance. She began reading and couldn't help reciting the poems out loud for herself. *(check A/N for poem title and where it comes from)

She began to read theatrically to herself:  
"_In a nap at midday I met my beloved,_ _then did I begin to believe-"_

But Hinata was cut off by the room's door sliding open, revealing a highly amused Sasuke. He leaned against the doorway with a bit of a smirk on his mouth.

"_Then did I begin to believe in the things we call dreams_," he finished for her.

She gaped at him, wide-eyed. She wasn't sure whether she was more horrified that he had caught her acting so ridiculous or whether she was more shocked that he knew the poem himself. All this mixed with the incredible embarrassment that only yesterday she _had _taken a nap and she _did_ have a dream where she had met with Sasuke. Of course, she said quickly shoving the thought out of her head, Sasuke was certainly not her _beloved_.

Sasuke as if testing her began to cite another poem from the same book. "_Should I have the chance to see you again,_" he paused, giving her a challenging look, daring her to finish it for him.

"_I would comb the four seas- diving deep as the sea tangle._" Hinata flushed, embarrassed that she replied, but the words escaped from her mouth like the air she exhaled. She always did have a soft spot for poetry.

"Good job," he remarked, placing some notebooks onto her desk for her. "Here are the notes." But, what caught Hinata's interest was a black plastic bag that he was carrying that he also put down. "This is for you," he said, giving her a very serious look. "Don't open it until I leave," he warned.

"Okay…" she said staring curiously at the bag as well as at Sasuke. A gift? His facial expression didn't betray him in the least as to revealing what it was exactly. Why didn't he want her to open it before he left? Maybe he was embarrassed, she thought to herself, but silently laughed at how ridiculous the idea was.

She watched as Sasuke went to gather a few things before he headed out the door. He muttered something inaudible but she was sure he said "Bye." When he left she walked over to the mysterious black bag, regarding it with keen interest she pulled the opening apart and was astonished to see that inside was a small container of vegetable soup. She was sick and he had made it for her. Stunned, she quickly rushed out of the room, sliding the door in a hurry to catch sight of her unexpectedly kind roommate. But the hallway was empty, he had already disappeared. She lingered at the doorway for a few moments, watching the turn of the corridor as if he would suddenly appear again. A foreign emotion seized her heart, and it was almost so suffocating that she could not move from her spot. When it stopped, Hinata wondered what it was that she felt. She was... happy.

Upon returning to her room again, she picked up the container of soup. It was the same kind of vegetable soup they had made in cooking class. She smiled to herself. When she was better, she had to remember to start making him the cookies she promised him.

Factoring in the schoolwork she had to make up, she wouldn't be free till the weekend… But, wasn't the weekend Valentine's Day? Hinata quickly glanced at the calendar by her desk, she silently groaned, it was. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to give him baked goods on a day when girls everywhere were clamoring to give gifts to the boys they liked? Hinata sighed; she was stuck in another awkward situation. It seems that fate enjoyed producing these romantic misunderstandings between Sasuke and her, Hinata thought bitterly.

Hinata took a seat at her desk, fishing out the spoon that was included and she tasted the soup, pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was. She smiled to herself; she knew Sasuke would be good at cooking if he simply _tried_. Her stomach was immediately warmed by the soup. Hinata couldn't help but think that perhaps was what "thawing" felt like. Even though her body burned with a fever, she didn't realize just how cold her insides were until she felt the hot liquid melting inside of her.

As she sipped on the savory soup, she couldn't help thinking how silly she was for thinking she actually wanted to go home last night. No matter how frightening and stressful it was to attend school, she would never trade up her time there to go back to her lonely world. She had friends here, people that cared about her and people she cared about. She had so much to learn about the world. She didn't want to be lonely anymore, even if it meant she had to sacrifice her own safety and comfort.

After finishing her soup, she placed the container back in the bag. Feeling full and having regained her spirits, Hinata decided that she wanted to take a short stroll to get some fresh air and to see the beautiful twilight scenery. She grabbed a warm jacket and headed out the door.

The sun had just begun set and the sky was an icy blue color. Half the sky was covered with a plethora of smoky white clouds that looked like unravelled cotton. Hinata took a deep breath, savoring the cool and crisp air that helped to clear her head. She decided to walk past the school building since she had yet to explore very much of the school. Hinata passed by the girls' dormitory curiously. She wondered if the insides were the same as the boys'.

When she turned the corner past the dormitory, she froze in her steps upon seeing the flash of red hair that she had all become too familiar with, an even more startling color amongst the backdrop of the setting sun. He was walking down from the top of the hill perpendicular to her. Frightened that he would see her, Hinata snuck behind a tree. But he didn't notice her, or at least, he made no show of it for he continued on the path without distraction.

There was something about the boy that both terrified her but also piqued her curiosity. His actions and looks were beyond her imagination. Hinata had not had the experience of meeting many different people, but surely, this boy was nothing like anybody could have seen before. His actions and his appearance were stranger and more wonderful than fiction and she followed him like she would some mythical creature.

After a few minutes he turned behind the cafeteria building in order to walk towards the other edge of the school grounds. She noticed that he was heading towards the gym. Although she knew of the gym, she had never gone inside before. Anko-sensei may have taught the physical education portion of the school curriculum, but she had yet to force anyone to exercise.

She was afraid that he would notice that she was following him, but not once did he look back, but he paused momentarily at the front of the gym before entering. Hinata was uncertain or not whether to follow him into the building, but she was curious to see where he was going and what he was going to do there. She also wanted to see this "training" that Naruto often talked about doing at the gym and wanted to at least take a peak inside.

She walked inside the building only to be faced with a short hallway. The boy was nowhere to be seen, but she her attention was instantly diverted by the sounds of shouting and cheering coming from one of the rooms. Curious as to what all the noise was about, Hinata peaked into the room and was thunder struck to see to see a brawl happening between Sasuke and Naruto. There were a bunch of bystanders, cheering and rooting them on, commenting on what was happening and as usual, Sasuke's female (and a few male) fans swooning on the sidelines.

The room was separated into two levels where the viewers stood on the top level (which was also were the door was) and the bottom level where the fight was. She was surprised to spot her cousin Neji also watching the match, his arms crossed, as well as Tenten and Lee. She returned her attention to the violent match that was occurring below.

Hinata stared in awe as the two boys fought. She had never understood why men preferred to fight these pointless battles before until now. There was undeniable electricity in the air as the two fought. They exchanged blows if their life depended on it, as if every second of their life was in preparation for this one fight, but it was not a struggle between something as simple as winning and losing, there was more to it than that. It was a chance for both of them to discover the limits of their own will and self-determination. There was no more hiding behind masks or made-up personas, their true natures were laid bare. When fighting, one has to completely reassess the true essence of one's own character, one has to believe in it with unwavering conviction in order to win. It was a battle of mental and well as physical strength, in order to win, one must have complete faith in themselves and what they are fighting for. Hinata realized that having a rival didn't mean they were simply competing; they were forcing each other to improve, to change and to grow.

Hinata felt a strange tingling feeling course through her body. Before she knew it, she was shaking, trembling as she discovered for the first time what "strength" really meant. To be strong wasn't simply a physical aspect, not even simply a mental one. There was a fight of spirit, the clashing of the heart and soul. Sudden inspiration hit her and she could hardly believe the thoughts that were forming in her head.

She wanted to be strong like them. She wanted to learn how to fight too. She wanted to train, she didn't want to be the same girl she used to be who always run and hide every time she was in an uncomfortable situation. She didn't want to be scared anymore. When people look at her, she wanted to be able to meet them eye to eye. Especially Sasuke, she didn't want to shrink under his gaze anymore. Her lack of strength and determination was what caused most of her problems in the first place. If she was stronger, Hinata thought, she would be free. How could she meet and laugh with her new friends if she wasn't able to show them the same honesty that they showed her? Hinata knew that this was what she wanted, no, needed to do.

She continued to watch the match, completely absorbed. There was a clear contrast in the two boys' fighting style. Sasuke's movements were quick, sharp and deadly. He struck his opponent with bursts of power, similar to lightning. However, her attention couldn't help but be drawn to Naruto. He moved like wild fire, whose movements were unpredictable and rough but were awe-inspiriting in their intensity and sheer violent force of power that seemed to overflow into the atmosphere. Hinata felt that just by watching Naruto, she had become stronger.

Naruto's usually friendly cobalt blue eyes flared with a fiery intensity that she had never seen before. He was no longer the boyish and carefree troublemaker she had come to recognize. When he was fighting, he changed. In watching him, Hinata could see finally clearly see that there was much more to Naruto than what he normally showed. For a moment, she couldn't stop staring at him, almost completely forgetting about Sasuke until their inevitable clash.

Suddenly, Hinata felt herself being tugged away from the match. Neji, who had saw her standing by the door immediately dragged her out of the room with a disapproving frown on his face.

"You shouldn't be here Hinata-sama," he said, momentarily forgetting to refer to her as "Hikaru". Luckily everyone was too absorbed in the match to pay them any attention. He looked worried, as if the fight was something someone like her should not have witnessed.

"Neji-niisan," Hinata said. She had decided, "I want to learn how to fight so I can become stronger." Although she was determined, she couldn't help but flush at the expression on Neji's face, which was a mix between disbelief and shock. He looked as if she had just told him that she wanted to run through a pit of poisonous rattlesnakes naked.

"What are you talking about?" Neji said as he tried to understand the words that just came out of her mouth. "You do not need to fight, you would simply be endangering yourself if you do."

"But, I'm endangering myself by not knowing how to protect myself," Hinata argued. Usually she didn't have the willpower to stand up to Neji, but this time she was determined.

"You'll get hurt," he said with some finality.

Tenten, overhearing the two came to the rescue. She had noticed that Neji had left and went to go look for him.

"What are you doing here?" Tenten asked with a big grin. "Did you come to see you-know-who in action?" she asked slyly.

"Stay out of this," Neji warned her.

"Hey, it's too late," Tenten said with a shrug. "Neji, don't be such a stick in the mud. If Hikaru wants to learn how to fight than you should allow it. After all, Hikaru is a boy and it would be natural if _he_wanted to become stronger. Besides, don't be so old-fashioned. Even girls nowadays can fight just as well as a man," she sneered.

Neji still didn't look persuaded. "This is different."

"It's not different," Tenten argued. "If you don't teach him, I'll teach him myself if I have to," Tenten said, winking at Hinata.

"You…" Neji began to argue, but then sighed after realizing that no matter what he said Tenten and Hinata were going to have their way regardless of his opinion on the matter. "Fine, but make sure Hikaru is properly trained _before_any fighting happens," he said.

"Of course, of course," Tenten said nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Come, I will take you back to your room," Neji said, gesturing for Hinata to follow him.

"I-I want to watch the rest of the match," she said sheepishly.

"In your state of health, you should be resting," he told her, his arms crossed. Hinata looked at Tenten who simply shrugged. Figuring that since Neji had allowed her to learn how to fight, she could at least do him the favor of not worrying him with her cold.

"Okay," Hinata said with a resignating sigh.

"I'll walk you back," Neji told her. He exchanged a quick nod with Tenten before leading Hinata back towards the dormitory.

"Um… Neji-niisan…?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know of a really red-haired boy with green eyes?" Hinata asked. She had forgotten to look for him thanks to seeing the fight. In a way, she thought, it was a good idea to follow him after all. If she hadn't, she would've never come across this sudden inspiration to become stronger.

Neji suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at her. "Why?" he asked with a severe expression on his face.

"No reason," Hinata immediately answered. "It's just that I've seen him around and… well…" Hinata trailed off. Actually she couldn't exactly think of a good reason as to why she wanted to ask about him. She certainly wasn't going to tell Neji about the episode at the infirmary, but Hinata felt there was no actual _reason_except for her own curiosity.

"Did he approach you?" Neji asked, looking more worried than Hinata had expected.

"No," she didn't mean to lie, but in a sense it wasn't exactly a lie. Neither had really approached the other, they just happened to continually stumble into each other's presence (although for the most part it was of her own doing).

"Good," there was evident relief as he said it. "He is a dangerous individual. Don't get involved with him Hinata-sama." By now she had figured out that he only referred to her as "Hinata-sama" only when they were alone and he was telling her something very important.

"Who is he?"

"No one you need to concern yourself with," he said as they began walking again.

"I want to at least know who he is so I can avoid him," there was some truth in her statement, but Hinata knew that it was only an excuse to gain more information. She wondered when she had become so skillful at this kind of half-lying. Now that she lived a lie, the lies seemed to come out quite easily.

"_Sabaku no Gaara_," Neji finally said after a long pause. That explained why he smelled like sand, she thought. "He is the son of a corrupt politician and it seems that the son is infinitely more corrupt than the father. Involving yourself with him will only lead to misfortune for you. You are the heir Hinata-sama, if anything happens to you it affects the clan as well. Your actions also affect the future image of the clan and involving yourself with _him..._"

"I'll be careful," Hinata cut in quickly, not caring for the clan politics, she had the rest of her life to worry about that. Instead, she was too busy thinking that _Gaara _was a very fitting name for such an interesting person. It was a strange name, and she wondered what the kanji for it was.

"Good, he's dangerous," Neji repeated. She agreed that he probably was dangerous, but whether he was the villain that Neji was making him out to be, Hinata was still uncertain.

* * *

A/N: A nice Sasuhina moment for you guys. In case you guys are wondering where this fic is going with the whole fighting aspect of it, there won't be that much of a concentration in it, but I wanted to use it as a means to develop Hinata's character more. A strong Hinata will be important later on when she eventually takes over the clan. Usually I would just pass on that title to Hanabi to make things a bit simpler and keep the story more romance-centric, but since this fic is so long, I don't want to cheat Hinata out of her chance to be someone with authority and greatness in the future nor do I want her to be solely defined by her relationship with her various male companions. Even though all of you are probably reading it for the Sasuhina moments (or... other pairing moments), I still want to write a story where the readers will be interested in what Hinata, by herself, can accomplish. But don't worry, there will still be plenty of _moments_ to look forward to. :D

*poems are by Izumi Kyoka's short story One Day in Spring. This will also not be the only time I'll reference poetry as a means of conversation between Sasuke and Hinata.

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******As always, please review** and thanks for reading!


	10. On the Topic of Love

**A Man's World**

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**A/N**: Breaks mean a change in POV. I never actually intended to stick to Hinata's POV for so long but from now on other character's POV will start to appear in increasing frequency.

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**Chapter 10 On the Topic of Love**

"That was pretty intense," Tenten said to Neji as the two were walking back together after the match between Sasuke and Naruto. It was the first time she had seen Sasuke fight. Tenten usually only came to watch matches when someone she was friends with was participating, but this time, she whether Sasuke was good enough for such a cute and pure-hearted girl like Hinata.

"Tenten, I want to talk to you about something," Neji announced suddenly. She looked at the stern boy curiously, it was pretty unusual for Neji to actually be the one to bring something up.

"You're so uncool. If you've got something to say just say it, no need for all those unnecessary words," Tenten told him. She wished he didn't always have to announce everything before he said it. Really, after how long they knew each other, he didn't have to be so formal with her.

"I want to talk about Hika- Hinata-sama," Neji said, having trouble saying the name. Tenten smiled to herself, to Neji, his cousin will always be "Hinata-sama" the heir to the Hyuuga clan.

"There you go again, just tell me already."

"She asked me about _Gaara_," he said, frowning.

Just his name gave her the creeps, that red-haired devil's spawn. Gaara and his two siblings were infamous at the school even though they'd only just transferred a year ago.

"_That_Gaara? Why?" Tenten asked, wide-eyed. "He's so freaking scary."

He was one of those people that kids and even adults could have nightmares about. There were numerous rumors surrounding the mysterious boy. He was always out at all times of the night just wandering around and just the thought of running into him in the dark sent chills down Tenten's spine. Why would Hinata be interested in a guy like him? Knowing how incredibly timid she was, Tenten was surprised she didn't keel over in fright from just one look at him.

"I'm not sure myself," Neji said, his usually calm face strained with distress.

"I wasn't aware they even knew each other."

"It seems like they do. She said that she had never been approached by him before, but I'm certain that's a lie."

"Well, what did she ask about?"

"She wanted to know his name," Neji stated uneasily. Tenten just gaped at him, surprised. It seems that Neji's cousin was always full of surprises.

"Weird."

"Actually…" Neji said, looking rather uncomfortable now. "I wonder if she likes him."

Tenten's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what he was saying! _Her precious Hinata liking that demon?_

"No way!" Tenten cried. "She likes her roommate!" automatically realizing her mistake, Tenten's hands clamped over her mouth. She laughed sheepishly at Neji's dangerous expression. "Oops." So much for keeping it a secret, Tenten silently apologized to Hinata.

"Uchiha Sasuke?" Neji asked, incredulous. "That's ridiculous."

"How is it ridiculous when you just suggested that she liked _Gaara_? Do you listen to the words that come out of your mouth?" Tenten groaned. She really didn't understand how Neji's logic worked. "Besides it's not ridiculous. He's good looking and super popular with all the girls at school. I mean, sure his attitude is awful, but it's not much worse than _yours_. Besides, how does it make more sense that she fell for a psychopath? Seriously, which would you prefer?" Tenten argued.

Neji scowled, "Neither would suit her, she's an heiress."

Tenten gave a frustrated sigh. She would never understand this "clan" stuff. Tenten couldn't figure out if Neji was overprotective for the sake of his clan or because Hinata was like a younger sister to him, most of the time she thinks it's probably the former.

"What do you have against Uchiha anyway? I mean, you and him are pretty much two peas in a pod."

"Are you out of your mind? We are nothing alike!" Neji shot darkly.

Tenten snickered, wondering if he was actually serious before bursting out into a fit of laughter. Neji watched her angrily as she slapped her knee in her fit. She really had to carry a mirror with her just so she could show Neji how stupid he looked sometimes.

"Sorry! My bad," Tenten said taking a few deep breaths. "It's just that I can't tell when you're joking or not." Neji scowled again.

"Tch, I'm glad you're finding this whole ordeal so _amusing_," Neji said, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

"How could anyone _not_laugh?" Tenten said with a shrug. "You take things too seriously. Either way, I'm still team Uchiha. He and Hinata would make a cute couple."

"That would never happen," Neji said with a frown. "The Uchiha and the Hyuuga clans don't get along anymore. Actually the whole business with the two of them ending up as roommates is suspicious. Before we came to school, my uncle paid good money to ensure that we would end up in the same room."

"So are you saying someone tampered with it?" Tenten was interested now. It seems that there was more to whole gender bending scenario than meets the eye. Tenten considered the idea that maybe Hinata herself had done it, but it was impossible for a girl like her to do something like that.

"It's very likely," Neji said gravely.

"Well, maybe someone was just messing around. You know how the boys' dorm leader gets. He's ridiculously prejudiced towards rich families. Regardless, you should be able to officially request a room change soon."

"I suppose," Neji didn't look convinced that it was a simple prank.

"By the way, what's up with the Uchiha and Hyuuga anyway? I've heard of a few rumors, but it'll be nice if you could enlighten me," Tenten said. "It might help us solve this case a lot faster if I knew everything."

"Mind your own business," Neji frowned. "I'm not going to discuss my clan's private matters with an outsider."

"Tch, elitist," Tenten pouted.

She really didn't understand why Neji was so devoted to the "clan" anyway. The whole thing was just plain childish. Who is really going to care about blue blood in the future anyway? Tenten couldn't help but feel bad for Hinata for being the heiress. All those rules simply to keep up an elite clan image was just plain unfair. Tenten was more resolved then ever to help Hinata in her pursuit of love.

"You're scheming again," Neji said warily.

"Who me? No way," Tenten laughed his words off.

Neji wasn't convinced, but he had his own worries to consider. He worried too much for his own good, especially when he isn't even the one who is going to inherit the clan in the first place. And she knew he would be the last person to admit it, but he cared more than he thought for his cousin. Tenten honestly thought that the whole "looking out for the clan" reasoning was just an excuse to keep his real feelings from showing. She knew that Hinata, to him, was more like a younger sister than just a cousin or even that of a heiress.

But as usual, he was his usual stubborn and pig-headed self. An idiot with too much pride. He's lucky that he's so good looking, she thought with a thoughtful smile.

* * *

"So here is your script since you weren't here yesterday," Shikamaru told her, handing her a hefty stack of paper. "We're going to spend some time in class today to get familiar with the parts so I can make revisions or answer questions if any problems come up."

"Oh, thank you," Hinata said, staring at it in wonder. Was it really going to be that long? She wasn't too nervous yesterday, but that was because she was too exhausted mentally and physically to dwell too much on the fact that she suffered from terrible stage fright. Now with the actual script's weight was in her hands, she was beginning to feel the full effects of having to perform in front of the whole school.

"Don't look so nervous. We have plenty of time to practice," Shikamaru told her after noticing the change in her face.

"Y-you're right," Hinata said, trying to smile.

"Just take it one line at a time," Ino said placing a supporting hand on her shoulder. Hinata turned to Ino who was smiling brightly at her. "Why don't we practice together?"

"Sure," Hinata was surprised, this was the first time Ino had actually approached her. Actually, she didn't recall them having ever really talked before.

"We have our first lines together," Ino told her as she took out her own script from her bag.

"By the way Hikaru," Shikamaru said.

"Yes?"

"Where the hell is your roommate? This isn't going to work out if he's only going to come to class every other day."

"S-sorry, I don't know where he is," Hinata said, reflexively glancing over at his empty desk. She had no idea why Sasuke was always absent from class.

"Well when you see him, tell him that if he doesn't start showing up I'm going to give his part to someone else. Damnit, if Kakashi-sensei wasn't so insistent on him playing a major role... that greedy bastard, only thinking of how many people will show up," Shikamaru grumbled to himself.

"I'll be sure to do that," Hinata told him. Inwardly she sighed, wondering if she'll even have to the chance to.

He hadn't come back last night again either. She had really wanted to thank him for the soup he made for her, but he was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he was in the infirmary again after fighting yesterday, but from what she could see, Naruto was completely fine and his usual energetic self. Sasuke couldn't be _that_badly beaten up could he? Maybe he was avoiding her?

"Hey, let's practice on the roof, it's too loud here," Ino said glancing at Naruto who was practicing his best evil mirror laugh while Sakura kept telling him that the mirror did not laugh at all.

"I agree," Hinata said with a nod.

The two made their way to the top of the school. Hinata had never been up to the roof before and was pleasantly surprised at how lovely the view was from there. She could see most of the school grounds from where she stood as well as much of the forest and mountains that surrounded the school.

"Great view huh?" Ino said with a grin. "Unfortunately it's usually also too windy up here so no one comes up that often. At least we get to be alone though."

"What building is that?" Hinata asked pointing to the tallest tower at the other side of the school grounds.

"Oh, that's the old lookout tower from years ago, back when there were bandits and thieves roaming the countryside. They turned it into a bell tower, but the bell never rings, or at least I have never heard it. Or maybe it was a bell tower first and then a lookout tower, I'm not really sure," Ino informed her with a casual shrug.

"Can people go up there?" Hinata asked, staring at it in amazement. She had never seen such a tall building in her life and she wondered what the view would look like from the top of it.

Ino laughed. "Do you want to go in? There are rumors that it's haunted. Nowadays only kids doing courage tests go in at night, but no one, at least that I know of, has ever been close enough to the top to see the old bell. They say at night you can hear a creepy clanging sound coming from it," Ino told her with a smirk.

"Eh… does Yamanaka-san like that kind of stuff?" Hinata asked, surprised.

"Hey, don't call me Yamanaka-san, you make me sound like an old lady!" Ino said laughing. "Just call me Ino."

"Ino-chan?"

"That works too. And yes, I do like that stuff. Weird for a girl huh?" Ino asked, clipping a few strands of shimmering blonde hair behind an ear.

"I don't know about things like that," Hinata replied.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean that if something was normal or if something is weird, I wouldn't really know," Hinata explained. She had lived such a sheltered life with her nose always buried in books, reality and normalcy weren't things she was too familiar with.

"You're weird," Ino said, laughing again. Her laughter was very bright, Hinata noted. She could see why Ino was popular with the rest of the girls in class.

"You're probably right," Hinata said with a shy smile.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing," Ino said giving her a good smack on the back, reminding Hinata of Naruto. Hinata supposed that if Ino had a male counterpart it would definitely be Naruto. The two were both very bright physically and personality-wise.

"We should start practicing," Hinata said, noticing that they had been chatting so idly.

"Before that, actually…" Ino said. "I wanted to talk to you about Sasuke. How did you two become such close friends?" she asked, staring at her closely with large pale blue eyes, reminding her once again of Naruto, especially where personal space was concerned.

"W-well…" Hinata said, taking a step back nervously. "I don't think we are close friends exactly…"

"Really? It seems that way to me," Ino said, taking another step forward. "He always comes to your defense and he never says anything mean to you or about you. He even punched Kiba for trying to steal his role as your lover in the play."

"Punched?" Hinata asked, bewildered. She had heard they argued, but she never thought that actual violence was involved.

"You weren't here yesterday, so I guess no one told you," Ino said with a sigh. "Well yesterday when the roles were assigned, Kiba told Shikamaru that it would be easier on you if he were to switch roles with Sasuke. Shikamaru, being his usual passive self told him to take it up with Sasuke, so he did and well it didn't end so well. Honestly I'm not sure exactly what happened, but all I know was that Sasuke did hit him for approaching him about the roles. Kakashi-sensei broke up the fight, and everyone thought he would let Kiba have his way since Sasuke was causing so much trouble, but he didn't. Shikamaru says it's because the only way we'll win this little popularity contest is if Sasuke plays the Dark Prince... not that I don't think it suits him better than Kiba."

"I had no idea..." Hinata's voice trailed off, unsure of how to feel about the situation. She was angry at Sasuke for hitting Kiba, that much she knew, but she wasn't sure what to make of the two fighting over the role of "her lover". "But knowing Uchiha-san, I think it's just because he dislikes Kiba-kun."

"Maybe," Ino said. "I'm still envious of you."

"Me?" Hinata was startled that such a pretty girl was envious of _her_of all people.

"Well of course. He treats you annoyingly well compared to everyone else," Ino quickly added at the end. "Sasuke isn't the type to make friends easily. Actually I think his only actual friend at school is Naruto surprisingly, but who isn't friends with that knucklehead?" Ino sighed. "Really, I'm jealous."

"Why… do you like him anyway?" Hinata asked, the words coming out of her mouth before she could stop them. "I-I mean- you don't have to answer if you don't want to," she said after realizing that it might be a bit too personal of a question to ask.

"I don't mind answering," Ino laughed. "You sure get flustered easily though. Why do I like Sasuke huh?" Ino said, leaning against the roof barrier. She took a few moments to think about it. "I suppose the reason is because it's fun."

"Fun?" Hinata had not expected that answer. Sasuke and fun never really mingled well together in her head.

"Yeah fun. I know better than anyone that he is an arrogant jerk around ninety-nine percent of the time, but that's what makes it fun. Well, I guess it also helps a lot that he's really good looking," she said, giving her another one of those strange smiles that Hinata couldn't quite understand.

"How is it fun?"

"What I mean is that I like liking him," she said, laughing a little at the strangeness of her own words. "Every day is a lot more fun when you have someone you like. You know, in a way its good that Sasuke will never like me back as long as he never falls in love with another girl, that way I don't have to worry about these peaceful days ending."

"I… don't understand," Hinata said, thoroughly confused. How could unrequited love be fun, especially if it was Sasuke? Any girl that tried to approach him with their feelings was thoroughly rejected and at times even insulted.

"I guess since you're a boy you wouldn't understand, but it's fun chasing after a cute boy, even if the chance of him liking you back is close to none."

"Oh," Hinata still didn't understand and she doubted she ever will.

"I can see you still don't get it," Ino said laughing at her again, tilting her head back slightly as she did so, a habit that was charmingly fitting. "It's okay, I didn't expect you to. By the way," she said tucking the constantly falling strand of hair back behind her ear. "I like to ask guys this question so don't think it too weird that I'm asking, but how can you tell if you love someone?"

Hinata was surprised by this question. Honestly, she had never thought seriously about love before. Nowadays, she would rather not think about it when she had other things to worry about.

"I don't know. I-I've never been in love before," Hinata said, blushing a little. She had read a lot about love in books and through poetry and she thought she knew something about love from all the reading she did, but after coming to the school, she realized she didn't know much at all.

"Oooh?" Ino asked with a sly grin. "Is that so? Well shall I tell you?" she said, not much as a question to Hinata as much as she was musing out loud. "To tell if you're in love, you simply try to imagine life without that person and then measure how long it would take for you to get over it. Simple right? I think about it all the time when it concerns Sasuke, such as if one day he decided to quit school and leave without a word, how would I feel? Would I cry, would I not cry? How long would it take for me to get over his absence? A few years, a few months, a few weeks or maybe even just a few days? How long could you miss this person before you could call it real love?" Ino's expectant eyes told her that she was asking her now.

"Well," Hinata said, still trying to digest the small speech that she just gave. "A long time I guess? Maybe you would miss them for the rest of your life," Hinata said, recalling a love poem she had read.

"You're quite the romantic aren't you?" Ino asked, laughing. "Though really, I wonder…" she said "Aren't you putting love on a pedestal? Sure, some loves may last a lifetime, but some only last for a few seconds and you can't really judge which one is more real than the other."

"But, if it's real love, you would remember those few seconds for the rest of your life, maybe even spend the rest of the next thinking about it," Hinata told her, but afterwards felt embarrassed for having said it.

Ino smiled that mysterious smile again. "You aren't as dull as you look."

"What?" Hinata asked, startled by her sudden comment. She felt that lately she had been getting a lot of those compliments that were actually insults and vice versa.

"Heh, nothing," Ino said with a friendly grin now. "We should go back to class since first period is almost over. I guess we didn't get to chance to practice at all. Though, there's always tomorrow right?" she said.

"Y-yeah," Hinata said, puzzled by Ino's behavior. She wondered if Ino ever meant to practice their lines together in the first place or if she just dragged her to the roof just chat with her. Either way, she was glad that she got to know a little more about the Ino's real character.

Later that night, Hinata went to meet Tenten at the gym. Once again, she heard the sounds of cheering and whooping from the battle room. Before she got a chance to peek in to see who the contestants were Tenten had spotted her.

"There you are!" Tenten said with a wide grin. "C'mon, I got a special treat for you!"

Tenten led her down the hallway and paused, waiting for her at the last door. Hinata stared curiously at the door. There was an engraved label on top that read "Weapons Room".

"I-I don't think I'm ready for weapons yet," Hinata told her nervously.

"I'm not going to make you wield one silly," Tenten said inserting the key into the room and then pushing the doors open. "But you should learn about them in case you want to use one in the future," she said. "Or… if you're up against one."

"Wow," Hinata gaped, amazed at the scene in front her. There were probably hundreds of different types of weapons on the walls.

"I know right?" Tenten said, laughing at her expression. "Because I'm actually a weapons specialist, I could get a key to this room. Usually no one but the faculty is allowed in here. As you can see, if anyone could just grab anything they want, it could be quite dangerous at school," she told her.

"Weapons specialist?" Hinata asked, surprised.

"Yep! My passion is in weapons. History, use, engineering, if it has to do with weapons, I know about it. Unfortunately, the extent of my knowledge ends in this room, since I'm not allowed to learn anything about guns and other explosives… well not yet anyhow," Tenten said.

"I would've never guessed," Hinata said, walking around the room, trying to get a good look at all of them.

"Most people wouldn't," Tenten said with a laugh. "Why do you think your cousin even bothers talking to someone like me? He hates weaklings the most, no offense." Hinata frowned, there was that partially joking insult again.

"Which ones do you use?" Hinata asked, trying to ignore the weakling comment.

"Good question," Tenten said with a bright smile. "Because I'm pretty traditional, I suppose my favorite has to be the katana. But, other times I prefer smaller swords like daggers and the like because they're a lot more convenient. However, it really depends on the person, whether they prefer speed or pure brawn. Usually with fights, I prefer the spear," Tenten said, taking a long spear off of the wall.

"A spear?"

"Yep, the best ones have the most flexible shafts, giving you much more power if you utilize the law of tension. It's never just brawn that's important, brain is too. For example the ball and chain mace takes into consideration centripetal force to do the damage for you. And well, the shaft of the spear works like a spring, see?" Tenten said, demonstrating the back and forth whipping motion of the stick end of the spear. "Not only does it give you more power, but if you smash the ground or your opponent, it won't break. Really, it only takes a basic education in the law of kinetics to increase your fighting ability with weapons tenfold."

"The science class is starting soon right?" Hinata asked. Hinata's own science education was only sub-par since her father preferred for her to learn other things, such as history, language, domestic duties and most important of all, the ability to obey and follow orders. Unfortunately, he didn't succeed very well in the last part.

"Oh yeah, I heard that the new professor is pretty damn creepy. He's like a mad scientist or so they say," Tenten told her.

"A mad scientist?" Hinata asked, an image of Gaara doing surgery on his own body suddenly appearing in her mind.

"So, I hear you asked Neji about Gaara," Tenten said, as if reading her mind. Hinata blushed, seriously considering that Tenten was a psychic.

"He told you about that?" Hinata asked.

"Of course, he tells me everything. He just pretends like he doesn't, but he always ends up telling me in the end. I'm like his quasi-therapist. You should know by now I just have a way with people," she said with a wink.

"R-really?" Hinata wondered if Neji liked Tenten.

"Hey, pay attention," Tenten said, demonstrating quite skillfully how to use the spear.

Hinata stared mesmerized as she spun the spear around until it was a blur, whipping and rotating around her body. Finally, with a loud thwacking sound that seemed to echo across the room, she smashed the spear to the carpeted floor.

"Wow," Hinata said, blinking a few times in awe.

"So, let's move onto swords," Tenten said, very pleased with Hinata's reaction.

After another hour of demonstration, the two called it a night and promised to continue on a different night. Hinata left the gym, completely in a daze as she recalled the way Tenten used the weapons as if they were simply extensions of her own body. However, Hinata grew up as a Hyuuga and the Hyuuga never relied on anything or anyone except for their own selves. If Hinata was going to learn how to fight, she decided it would be with her own two hands.

Hinata crossed the grounds back to the boys' dormitory, enjoying the brightness of the full moon against the backdrop of the pitch black night sky. Suddenly, the scent of the desert perfumed the air and she stopped dead in her tracks.

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A/N: Kind of boring chapter upon rereading it (for the topic of love anyway). A chapter mainly for the girls though and the beginning of Hinata's training. As for the next chapter, it should be obvious what that's all about. fuufuufuu.

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******As always, please review** and thanks for reading!


	11. A Night in Spring

**A Man's World**

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**Chapter 11 A Night in Spring**

He sat, impossibly perched on top of wide tree branch, half of him illuminated by the glowing orb of the moon and the other half fading into a gradient of shadow like the Cheshire cat from Wonderland. Spring nights smell of mist and dew, but the dry smell of desert sand wafted through the air, giving the atmosphere an unnatural and otherworldly feel. She stopped in her tracks, frozen in indecision. She did not want him to see her and if she continued down the path, he most certainly would. It seemed that she had been running into him a lot lately, this boy named Gaara. The scene before her was uncanny, as if she had suddenly stumbled into a painting for a gothic fantasy, and she had a hard time convincing herself that he was not a ghost.

For one, the branch he sat on was too high off the ground for any normal human to jump to and the tree too steep for him to have climbed. She felt as though something terrible would happen if she were to be seen by him and that fear possessed her to remain perfectly still. Maybe it was the sweet night air or the ghost stories she had been reading, but she was scared stiff. But he did not move for a long time, his asymmetrical silhouette seemed to be permanently framed and fixed by the round white moon. He was staring intently into empty space, deep in thought and oblivious to the cowardly girl that stood watching him. For a moment, she felt as though she was no longer a part of reality, but had instead been transported into a curious nightmare. An all too familiar nightmare too, it reminded her of the desert dream she had. But this time, it was Gaara instead of Sasuke and it was real and not a dream at all.

Eventually, he did begin to move and Hinata flinched as his sharp green eyes followed the stream of moonlight down to her cowering figure. Taking a few seconds to analyze and comprehend who she was and what she was doing, finally, a slightly change crept over his face as he recognized her.

"You again," he said slowly, his voice quite clear for the lack of volume.

"H-hello," Hinata cried in surprise, even though she had been waiting for him to speak. "Um…" she said trying hard to think of something to say, "how is your wound?"

"It's almost gone," he told her.

"That's good…" she said with a shred of disbelief; it was impossible for such a gaping wound to heal in such a short amount of time, but she decided not to pursue the topic further."Um…how did you get up there?" Gaara was sitting on the first branch of the tree, but that branch was probably at least twenty feet high so it was almost impossible for to him to have climbed such a steep tree.

"I flew," he stated without a flicker of humor in his voice, leading Hinata to almost believe it to be true. He didn't look as if he was joking and neither did his tone indicate that he was in jest, but the words couldn't possibly be serious; he had to be poking fun at her.

"How will you get down?" she asked, a little more at ease now that she felt he wouldn't do any harm. He was, so far, compliant with answering her questions, even if those answers were a little… odd.

"By falling, a little concept called 'gravity.'" Again, he seemed dead serious.

"How long do you plan to stay up there?" she asked with a slight frown now.

"You sure ask a lot of questions," he remarked.

"Sorry…" she said, wondering if she should stop bothering him for fear of angering him. But he didn't seem angry; his expression remained consistently ambivalent since he first set eyes on her.

"Till morning," he answered her anyway.

"Eh? You're going to sleep up there?" Hinata didn't know why she couldn't stop one question after another from leaving her mouth. Gradually her fear had completely transformed into an innocent curiosity to know about this mysterious boy that smelled of desert sand.

"I don't sleep," again there was no change in his tone or countenance.

"Why?" Hinata was surprised; she felt that he wasn't lying about it. It certainly explain the darkness of the area around his eyes, though strangely, Hinata thought they kind of suited him, they emphasized the outline of his eyes, drawing her gaze like a moth to a flame.

"Have you ever heard of the Sandman?" Gaara asked, catching her off guard with a question of his own.

"The Sandman?" Hinata repeated, confused. "I don't know who that is." What did it have to do with his lack of sleep? All Hinata knew was that it sounded a bit sinister.

"Do you know Morpheus, a winged demon, is the god of dreams," he said, further confusing Hinata. "The Sandman is one of his many aliases and legend has it he puts the world to sleep through the use of magical sand which he uses to shape dreams."

"…Sand?" Hinata asked, starting to see an eerie trend, especially taking into consideration the dream she had when she appeared in a desert.

"Magical sand," he corrected her.

"I don't understand, what is _magical sand_…?" Hinata knew that he couldn't be serious, but for some odd reason she was hooked onto his every word.

"Sand from the depths of hell," he said, looking at her as if he was surprised that she didn't know such an obvious fact. Hinata couldn't help but be a little unnerved by that statement.

"How does this…" she wanted to ask him how it connected with his lack of sleep, but she felt that he had probably already answered it and she was just too slow to figure it out.

"Does the Sandman sleep?" he asks her.

Hinata was frustrated by how he was beginning to talk in riddles. How could she even answer such a question? First she would have to know if Gods needed to sleep to even begin answering it. If he was the God of Sleep, didn't that mean that he was either eternally asleep or forever awake? Or perhaps he only existed in dreams, but that didn't make much sense if he had to blow sand in people's eyes in order to put them to sleep. So in order to keep putting people to sleep, he would have to remain awake forever since even if it was daytime in one part of the world, it was night in the other; therefore his job would never end. And of course, this reasoning only held up if Gods, just like humans, were also constrained by time. However, Hinata recalled, wasn't time also counted by flowing sand? Her head was swimming.

"I don't think the Sandman sleeps," Hinata said finally, deciding that she shouldn't start thinking about the sands of time. But a ridiculous thought came to her, maybe Gaara was the Sandman? Though, that was absolutely silly, Hinata felt she was too old to believe in fairy tales. Of course, it was an odd coincidence that he always smelled of sand, that he never slept and that she had a frighteningly realistic dream of being surrounded by sand right after she had first talked to him.

"And neither do I," he replied. Hinata frowned again, that still wasn't an answer to the question of why he didn't sleep. As if reading her mind he tells her "I suppose that's not a satisfying answer though."

"No, it's not," Hinata agreed. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that she shouldn't be talking so freely to this person whom she thought was insane and who Neji warned her not to associate with, but she had to admit, it was too interesting of a conversation to pass up.

"If I tell you, will you leave and stop asking questions?" he asked.

"I will," she agreed.

"I don't sleep because I can't."

"That's…" Hinata flushed with anger, feeling that she was being toyed with. "That's can't be the answer can it?"

"You promised," he stated, but this time, instead of being nonchalant, he looked slightly amused, although it was hardly a noticeable change. "So run along home and leave me alone."

"You… I…" Hinata wanted to argue, but the way he looked at her as if he dared her to even try to argue made her stop. Giving up, she said, "Okay fine. Good night then." With that Hinata stalked off, still quite peeved at such the unsatisfying answer. She was like a child who didn't get to hear the end of her bedtime story. However, after walking a few meters away she suddenly turned and offered him her name. "By the way, I'm Hyuuga Hikaru." She didn't know why she was introducing herself after she had just decided to leave, but she felt it would be rude of her to know his name when he didn't know hers.

"Gaara," he told her in a slow drawl. She stood there, expecting him to say more, but his attention had already left her and once again he stared off into the distance, deep in thought.

When Hinata returned to her own room in the boys' dormitory, it finally dawned on her how incredibly bizarre yet incredibly fascinating the whole conversation and the whole situation were. After talking to him again, she changed her mind about him; Gaara, although extremely eccentric and undeniably weird, did not strike her as much of a dangerous villain or all that insane. Actually, Hinata thought, aside from his endless riddles and his vague way of answering questions, he seemed to be in his right senses. But normal, Hinata decided, was definitely not a word that would describe him. If anything, he seemed almost supernatural, but Hinata couldn't deny that it was what made him interesting to her.

These thoughts occupied her to the point she almost didn't realize that Sasuke was actually sleeping in the room. Usually, if he even bothered to show up, he would never go to bed this early. Hinata quickly changed and climbed into her own bed, surprised at how comforting it was to know that Sasuke was sleeping in the same room as her again. He was sleeping soundly too. Slowly, Hinata drifted off to sleep as her consciousness broke away like a clump of sand.

Hinata awoke a few hours later, her throat parched. She couldn't continue to sleep if she didn't get a drink of water. Annoyed, she gave a frustrated sigh, rolling over to her other side to catch the time. Luckily there was no school in the morning so at least she didn't have to worry about being tired during class. But when she turned over, she couldn't see the clock at all, instead she froze terrified.

Blocking her view was Sasuke's sleeping back. Wailing alarms turned off in Hinata's head as she shot backwards, pressing her body against the wall, face completely red from embarrassment. What- why- when- what… _WHY_? Hinata felt that her heart was pounding loud enough to potentially wake him so the first thing she needed to do that wasn't panic absentmindedly was to first get out of bed. So carefully and slowly she crawled off of her bed, keeping a close eye on Sasuke in case he woke up.

She slipped out of bed, her bare feet touching the icy wooden floor. Quietly she tiptoed to get a drink of water for her dry throat before she would acknowledge that Sasuke was sleeping in her bed.

As soon as she finished drinking the last drop of water from her glass, panic set in once again. What in the world was Sasuke doing in her bed? Hinata poked her back into her room and saw that he hadn't moved from the spot, but was sleeping rather peacefully. Maybe he got up in the middle of the night like her, but instead of going back to his own bed he had accidentally crawled into hers. It could happen, Hinata thought, it was a reasonable mistake to make when one was half asleep in the dark.

But then again, Hinata thought, if Sasuke went to the bathroom or to get a drink of water, it didn't make any sense for him to walk all the way over to her bed when his was much closer. It wasn't very plausible, but it was possible because she didn't want to acknowledge the possibility of the other option that he had climbed into her bed on purpose.

Ridiculous, Hinata thought. No matter what kind of nightmares Sasuke had at night, they couldn't be enough to get a grown boy to climb into her bed. That was only something little kids did. So, she had to acknowledge the other reason why boys climbed into other people's beds at night and that line of thought wasn't so innocent. Hinata blushed again, embarrassed that she would think such a thing. She was a boy after all, at least when she was in school, so why would Sasuke…

Maybe he _did_ like boys, Hinata thought. It certainly wasn't the first time the thought occurred to her. That would explain everything. She stared at his sleeping figure curiously. If that were true, she thought, it would be incredibly ironic how she would be safer sharing a room with him if she wasn't in disguise.

Or maybe… she thought, looking at him with pity now, he was just lonely. Hinata reddened again at the idea of having to keep him company in bed, even if that image did not include anything perverted.

Hinata wondered what she should do now. She certainly couldn't just go back to bed while he was in it. Waking him didn't appeal to her either. She cancelled out whatever thoughts she had earlier about being glad that Sasuke was finally back at night, especially when the last time he had spent the night in their room… well… Hinata blushed again.

She wanted to go back to sleep, but there was nowhere to actually sleep. Suddenly an idea occurred to her, what if she went to sleep in Sasuke's bed? It was only fair right? If Sasuke was going to spend the rest of the night in her bed, she had no option but to sleep in his.

So she walked over to his side of the room, climbing into his bed. But when she laid her head down and threw the sheets over herself, she immediately had to get up. Blushing and heart racing, Hinata realized that it was just too weird to sleep in his bed, especially with the overpowering scent of his that lingered in the fabric. Tired and agitated, Hinata decided that it would probably be best to just wake Sasuke up and tell him of his mistake.

Walking back over to her own bed, she whispered his name. "Uchiha-san, wake up please," she nudged him, almost regrettably when his peacefully sleeping face scrunched in annoyance.

"What?" he snapped, his voice still raspy from sleeping.

"You- You're in my bed," Hinata said meekly.

For a moment he just stared at her as if he didn't understand what she was saying. Eventually, after he felt a bit more awake he sat up, looking around and with a surprised expression, realized she was right.

"Sorry," he mumbled under his breath before he brushed past her back to his own side of the room. Dropping into his bed, he went back to sleep as if it was no big deal.

Hinata couldn't believe that he wasn't going to offer up any explanation to her. Begrudgingly she lay back down in her own bed and tried to go back to sleep. But her bed also smelled of Sasuke now. His scent was a mix of trees, pine, soap and whatever one would label that scent that was intrinsically his, the warm smell of the opposite sex that she wasn't used to. She blushed again, embarrassed that she thought it actually smelled _nice._

At this rate, Hinata thought miserably, she would never be able to go back to sleep.

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A/N: A really short chapter as you can see, but I wanted to do this one quickly. I'm sure a lot of you are wondering what's up with Gaara and well… you'll just have to continue reading to find out haha. I assure you, he's not just some kooky guy that Hinata constantly runs into. As for the mistaken bed scene, it's the ultimate cliché so I had to put it in this fic somewhere lol. I had a good laugh writing it too. Oh Sasuhina...

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******As always, please review** and thanks for reading!


	12. Valentine

**A Man's World**

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**A/N: **The first physical chapter update since the hiatus. For old readers that just skipped to this chapter please reread the story from the beginning or at least start at ch.7 which is when the story will completely differ from the original. Thanks for your patience everyone, as well as for your supportive reviews!

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**Chapter 12 Valentine**

"Please accept this!"

"Sasuke-kun, wait for me!"

"Uchiha-senpai, try this chocolate cake I made!"

"I handmade this chocolate myself, please take it!"

"Be my Valentine Sasuke!"

"I've liked you for two years!"

"I love you, I can't live without you!"

"Please look at me!"

"I will be heartbroken if you don't accept my present!"

Once again, this year's Valentine's Day brought with it hoards of screaming girls armed with pink and red parcels. The aroma of chocolate goods and sweet candies filled the air. Scented envelopes of red, white and pink containing heartfelt love confessions that passed from the nervous hands of girls into the equally nervous hands of guys. But for some guys this holiday would end empty handed while for others…

Uchiha Sasuke scowled as another girl tried to thrust into his arms a giant glittering heart-shaped box. He deftly dodged it, letting the box fall to the ground with an inaudible thud. The girl didn't even have time to react to his rejection before her chocolate box was promptly trampled on as other girls tried their luck too by throwing their chocolates his way.

The hallways and grounds were littered with the casualties of the eternal struggle between Sasuke and his diehard fans. Broken chocolate, crumbled cookies, squished cakes, trodden Valentine Day's cards and letters, cracked candy and a ridiculous amount of ribbons could be found in every corner of the school campus. If one wanted to find Sasuke, you would simply follow the trail of rejected Valentine's Day gifts.

_It's all that girl's fault_, Sasuke thought bitterly to himself. If she hadn't handed him those damn cookies then none of these girls would've gotten the idea that he was actually going to accept their gifts this year. Yes, he was well aware from the moment he saw her, that his roommate was a girl and was not fooling anyone with that shitty disguise.

His roommate had to choose the worst possible day to finally reveal the chocolate cookies she had promised to make for him, telling him that she had them on hand yesterday, but since she didn't see him, she had no choice but to give it to him on Valentine's Day. She looked so _damn unhappy_ too that she had to do it on this particular day. The frown on her face as she handed it to him this morning told him to not get the wrong idea. And after placing it in his hands, she just muttered that he should enjoy them and with that left him standing there, dumbstruck.

Out of a moment of utter stupidity and temporary amnesia, he just held the cookies, staring at it in bewilderment. Within the wrapped clear plastic sat a fistful pile of miniature bite-sized chocolate cookies. He had not expected her to actually follow through with his insane request. She must've known that he had been temporarily out of his mind at the time right? And in that moment, he had the misfortune of actually exiting the dormitory with them in plain sight. He had planned to hide out in the library for Valentine's Day, and in a moment of daze he got the stupid idea that he would try eating these cookies while he spent the day there. And being spotted holding chocolate cookies simply gave people the wrong impression on this particular holiday. It was like painting a bulls-eye on him, flipping over the "closed" sign to "open" and the girls that were waiting for him outside thought that he was actually going to accept gifts this year.

When he confronted the pack of girls that were camped out in front of the dormitory, he considered just dropping the cookies and making a run for it, but he just couldn't bring himself to toss them as he made his escape. He did _ask _for them, no matter how much he regretted it now. Even if he went back into the boys' dormitory, Sasuke knew they would just follow him in there and even though it was no fault of his, that prick at the desk would end up blaming him for it anyway. Girls weren't allowed in the boys' dormitory, but that rule never stopped any of them. In fact, there was one living with him right now.

Sasuke crisscrossed through the maze that made up the downtown shopping and market district on the school grounds. Since it was Sunday morning as well as Valentine's Day, the streets were packed with people, lovers, sweethearts, couples crooning their disgusting declarations of love. The shops were decorated to reflect the spirit of the holiday, bright reds, pastel pinks and creamy whites seemed to attack him in as he tried to find refuge. Amidst the crowd he ducked quietly into a deserted tea shop that Sasuke often frequented when he was looking for a quiet place for himself to think. The tea shop was run by a half-senile and mostly deaf old man that made these terribly dry and stale snacks to accompany his terrible tea, which explained why the place was almost always empty. But the place was golden for its silence.

He let out a tired sigh as he sank onto one of the uncomfortable benches inside the store. Leaning against the wall to catch his breath he noticed that he was still holding the cookies from earlier. A few had crumbled and but most of them were still in good shape unlike Sasuke. His hair was tousled and his shirt felt much looser now thanks to being manhandled by the more proactive girls.

Getting up, Sasuke went to look for the old man that worked there. He was sitting in the back of the shop reading a newspaper and Sasuke tapped him gently on the back to get his attention.

"Ooooh, Sasuke-kun, how are you?" he said, speaking loudly to compensate for his poor hearing.

"Tea," Sasuke said, emphasizing the syllables on his lips. The old man, although he couldn't hear very well, could understand him by reading his lips.

"Tea!" he cried. "Oh yes, right away," he got up, throwing his newspaper down and went to heat up a pot.

Sasuke returned to the serving area of the shop and went to sit at his usual table that stood in the darkest corner of the room. Light peeked in through the cracks of the window, leaving an array of sunbeams shooting through the dusty darkness.

He sighed once again, cursing Valentine's Day under his breath. He placed the cookies on the table and gaped at them in wonder again. It really didn't help that she tied the bag with a red ribbon. For the first time he noticed a small slip of white paper sitting underneath the jumbled pile of cookies that he hadn't seen before. He opened the bag and fished for it. Dusting off the chocolate crumbs on the paper, he unfolded it, reading:

_A gift given is a gift received. Thanks for the soup._

Sasuke immediately crumpled it up, still embarrassed over the whole "soup" incident. Actually he was still embarrassed over a countless number of other incidents that he would prefer not to recall at that moment. Lately, he had been losing it. The old man came out with a cup of green tea and placed it on his table, flashing him a toothless smile.

"Valentine's Day eh? Ah… to be young again," he said eyeing the bag of cookies. Sasuke simply nodded with a forced smile. He'd rather not go through the trouble of explaining it, especially to someone who was deaf.

After that the old man left him alone to his tea. Sasuke gingerly inspected of the mini cookies carefully. Truthfully Sasuke didn't actually like chocolate or sweets all that much, but his mother used to make him chocolate cookies all the time when he was younger and lately, he had been craving them for the nostalgic sentiment.

It was that girl's fault, Sasuke thought with a frown. Why did she have to suddenly show up in front of him and then every day after that? Sasuke had wanted to erase all evidence of his past, but since the new school term began, two people from it had suddenly decided to reappear in front of him.

One was that guy he loathed to call his older brother and the other, a princess dressed like a common pauper. For reasons he couldn't understand, she had simply showed up one day, nonchalantly sitting upon his bed, introducing herself as Hyuuga _Hikaru_, his new roommate. He could still remember when he had first stumble across the Hyuuga princess hidden in the labyrinth of her castle.

She occupied a space in the box of old childhood memories that he had sealed away. Along with lazy summer days and singing cicadas, the world back then was only as far as his young eyes could see. And in these memories, she existed as a little girl with eyes so big and clear that she seemed more like a fairy from a picture book than a human. They were clairvoyant, her eyes, and the naïve and innocent Sasuke was then and there acquainted with the pink emotion of young love and admiration.

He had only formally met the Hyuuga heiress a few times when he was a child, but he had recognized her immediately when he saw her. The Uchiha and Hyuuga often held meetings together in the past, and since Sasuke wasn't necessary for those meetings, he was often left at home. But when he did get to go, So as a kid with a silly crush on a girl he had only seen a few times in passing, he begged his older brother to gather more information on her.

So it hadn't come as a small shock to see her materialize right in front of him countless years later. Thousands of questions swam through his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to ask any of them after he realized that she didn't remember him at all. So, now he was stuck pretending that he didn't know just about everything there was to know about her. Her interests and hobbies hadn't changed at all after all those years. She still doted on books and was utterly fascinated and captivated by plants and wildlife. Just this morning, he recalled seeing a bonsai plant sitting on her desk that hadn't been there before. More than anything, he anguished over how pathetic it was that he could even remember all these minute factoids about a girl he hadn't thought about since he was eight.

He was soon shaken from his thoughts of self-pity when he finally tasted the cookie. He looked at them, surprised. He had expected them to be sweet and oozing with chocolate, but they were only mildly sweet, but far from bland. The cookies seemed to melt in his mouth. The ones his mother used to make were definitely much sweeter than this, but Sasuke didn't mind since he probably wouldn't have been able to enjoy anything sweeter than the ones he was already eating.

Sasuke washed the cookies down with the awfully tepid and watered down tea. He sat within the dark teahouse for awhile, a bit lost in his own thoughts as he continued to slowly munch on the cookies. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Sasuke was spending most of his time and energy nowadays trying to avoid her. He didn't want to think about her, what she was to him and her role in his childhood (not to mention that her presence seemed to drive him to do the most ridiculous things). But, he decided, for today and only today, he would allow himself to freely think about Hyuuga Hinata. It was all her fault then, Sasuke thought, if he didn't mind this absurd holiday anymore.

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Hinata tried to stifle a yawn, but it came out anyway. She had to stay up all night helping Sakura after she had a cooking accident while making a chocolate cake for Valentine's Day. The double layered heart-shaped cake Sakura had toiled for the whole day to make accidentally fell onto the ground, rendering it utterly unworthy of presentation. Since Hinata had the misfortune of being there at the exact time and moment, she was recruited to Sakura's midnight efforts to remake her cake. She had just finished baking Sasuke's chocolate cookies earlier and she was no longer in the mood to spend any more time baking in the kitchen. Valentine's day weekend in the kitchens were hectic and crowded.

Hinata had planned to give the chocolate cookies she made for Sasuke _before_ Valentine's Day to avoid misunderstandings, but as usual, Sasuke refused to show up the other night so she was forced to hand it to him this morning when he finally came back to shower and to change his clothes. Devastatingly tired and hungry, she wasn't in the mood for Sasuke to make any jokes about the cookies and practically threw the bag into his hands before leaving him there speechless. It wasn't her personality to be so grumpy, but it also wasn't usual for her to not get any sleep.

Later in the afternoon, she found herself taken hostage by Neji into his room. Sitting upon his bed, she grimaced as he began giving her an apparently necessary "talk" about the opposite sex. She didn't need Neji to tell her that it was an awful idea to fall in love with someone when she was disguised as a boy and that it was the absolute _worst_ idea if that boy was her own roommate. Hinata had no idea how her cousin got the idea in his head that she actually harbored romantic intentions towards Sasuke, but she had a feeling that Tenten was involved.

"Please do not forget Hinata-sama, that there is a _reason_ you're here, and let me remind you it's not so you can spend this time so care freely," Neji stated, using her name without restraints since his roommate wasn't home.

"Yes I know, my life and the whole clan's well-being is resting on my shoulders," she said, too tired to even sound remotely enthusiastic.

"You should be using this time to study till your heart's content. Wasn't that the reason you wanted to come here? You're different from the other girls Hinata-sama, you have other responsibilities that make it impossible to lead that kind of frivolous life. You don't understand that your time here is limited and therefore you should try to avoid doing anything that would only result in you getting hurt," Neji sighed. "And the best person for that job would be that Uchiha."

"I _do_ understand," Hinata tried to argue. "I know that it's possible all this school stuff will come to an end eventually and it could even be as soon as tomorrow. And Neji-niisan, I am _not_ in love with Uchiha-san," she said with a frown. If anything, she hoped that last part would get through to Neji. She didn't want to listen to another ten minute lecture on how awful his personality was.

"Think about the clan, Hinata-sama!" Neji continued, not even hearing her or at least, especially not that last part since once again, he began ranting about Sasuke's less than savory history with girls.

Hinata didn't want to, but she couldn't fix her mind onto what Neji was saying. Instead her eyes kept wandering around their room, absorbing the randomness of its contents. On Neji's side of the room, it was essentially bare, typical of the Hyuuga except that on his desk, sat a giant pile of Valentine gifts that he had received. Hinata was honestly surprised at how large the pile was, but if Sasuke was popular, Neji was certain to be also. Hinata supposed that her view was a bit biased and unfair, it was impossible for her to see her cousin as someone other than the typical strict and colorless Hyuuga male.

On Lee's side there were various calligraphy scrolls (containing motivating kanji such as "power" and "justice") hanging around as well as a number of portraits of tough looking men on the wall. The most noticeable one was the giant larger than life one of Gai with a beaming smile while giving the thumbs up sign. Weights were littered around the floor and in one corner was hung a sand bag from the ceiling.

"You're not paying attention," Neji said with a disapproving frown, arms crossed.

"Sorry," Hinata blushed slightly at being caught.

"Any questions Hinata-sama? Did I make myself clear?" he asked.

"Well…" she said hesitantly. "Didn't the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans used to be on good terms?" she asked sheepishly. She knew they almost had this conversation before, but were interrupted before Neji could've actually answered her.

"I'm not exactly sure myself, but it had something to do with Uchiha Itachi," he told her.

"What happened?" Hinata asked, startled to hear Sasuke's brother's name mentioned.

"All I know is that in the past, you were engaged to marry him."

Hinata gaped at him, her eyes opened wide with shock. Her mouth would've dropped open if her manners hadn't taught her better. She couldn't believe what Neji was saying! She wasn't sure which surprised her the most, the fact that Itachi used to be her fiancée or that her father had arranged a marriage for her and she was never once notified. Sadly it was probably the former.

"You're not serious are you?" Hinata asked, baffled by this information.

"I am," he replied gravely.

"How did you find out about this?" Hinata asked, wondering why they would tell Neji, but not her.

"I overheard," Neji said, but Hinata could tell he was lying by the sudden dark shadow that crossed his face.

"Ano… what about now?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said that we 'were' engaged. What happened?" she asked. Was she engaged to marry someone else right now without anyone having told her? And why did the engagement break in the first place?

"Well, that's the part I'm not so sure about," Neji said shrugging. "I can't even say for sure the engagement is broken. I know that the Hyuuga and Uchiha are no longer speaking, but no one has talked about the engagement since then. I didn't in a million years expect Uchiha Itachi to even appear at this school in the first place. What a terrifying coincidence," he said with another sigh. "Though I'm sure if you ask him, he might be able to clear it up for you. But I think it's best if you just forget about it. It's all in the past. I don't trust the older brother anymore than I trust the younger one."

"So I'm not still secretly engaged to anyone else without my knowledge?" Hinata asked with a resentful frown.

"Not that I know of."

"What in the world…" Hinata said, exasperated. "I knew eventually my father would 'arrange' for me to meet with potential husbands, but I didn't think he would actually arrange a marriage behind my back."

"Hinata-sama, you're the heir," he reminded her.

"Yes, I know," she said, but this time the word "heir" had suddenly become heavier than before. And if he used it one more time, she just might lose it. "Heir" this and "heir" that, she was sick of it.

After Neji had finished speaking to her, Hinata went back to her room. She noticed that outside her door was a large pile of Valentine's Day gifts. She stepped over them without a second thought, not even bothering to collect them. She went inside, shutting the door behind her. The room was strangely quieter than usual. Making her way to her bed, she wondered what Sasuke was doing at the moment. Knowing him, he was probably still dodging more girls as they continued to throw gifts his way.

Hinata lied down on her bed, but her mind was buzzing with activity and her early morning lethargy had worn off. It seemed unreal that she used to be engaged to Itachi. She wondered if he knew about it too, but she wouldn't doubt it. Ironically, as the heir, Hinata was always the one left out of the important discussions about the clan's future. No one ever offered her any details of what she would be doing or should be preparing for in the future. Instead, her father preferred to drill into her head lesson after lesson on things as pointless as the ability to make polite small talk. Hinata felt that her father wasn't teaching her how to be the head of the clan as much as he was teaching her how to be the future figure head.

Hinata knew she should be feeling betrayed, resentful, angry, sad, disgusted, loathing or any number of other appropriate emotions after having realized what she had. But instead, she didn't feel anything at all and she was afraid that that was what her father had been teaching her to feel all along.

Another thought occurred to her, that maybe the Uchiha boy that came to visit her when she was younger was actually Itachi. She wondered how she would react if she found out they were still engaged. Hinata had very mixed feelings about Itachi. On one hand, if he _was_ the boy from her past, then he was her first love and that had to mean something to her didn't it? But on the other hand, after recalling Sasuke's opinion on his older brother she wasn't so sure that it would be as straight forward as that.

Who was Uchiha Itachi really? What was he like? And why was the engagement broken? If she asked him, would he tell her why? And… did Sasuke know? And did any of it actually matter? In the end, Hinata knew, she was just a puppet of the Hyuuga. A puppet pulled by a countless number of invisible strings. They were all manipulating her and there wasn't anything she could do about it. It dawned on her that she had no control over her own destiny. However, this fact was not new to her. She had always known that her life was meant to be used serving the will of her clan, but why did it suddenly matter to her? Who was she, besides the clan's desires projected into her shell of a body? She knew there were things she liked and disliked, certain emotions that accompanied her throughout the day, and memories… but if everything she did was because of the will of others, what was she but a doll with insignificant thoughts?

A feeling of dislocation took place, where Hinata felt like her mind resided slightly outside of her body. It was a new feeling she had never experienced before. It wasn't until now as she lied there upon her bed, staring at the vacantly at the white ceiling and watching the sun's reflection cast dancing light upon its smooth surface, did she realize what it truly meant to be empty.

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**A/N:** I meant to make the Valentine's Day chapter a bit more lighthearted and romantic, but alas... it ended up very bittersweet. On another note, hurrah for the first appearance of Sasuke's POV! Most of you readers probably weren't surprised that he knew about Hinata's real identity right? (maybe some of you were). I had a hard time trying to figure out what to and what not to reveal since Sasuke knows quite a bit more about what's really going on than Hinata does.

So let me know what you guys think about it, I always love predictions or conspiracy theories.

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******As always, please review** and thanks for reading!


	13. Commanding Sasuke's Attention

**A Man's World**

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A/N: Thank you reviewers! You guys always make my day and make me want to update faster! I love you all! ;-;

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**Chapter 13 Commanding Sasuke's Attention**

Hinata was interrupted from her slumber by the noisy sound of footsteps in her bedroom. Her brow knit from the disturbance and she slowly opened an eyelid to get a view of the perpetrator. In the murky darkness of pre-dawn was Sasuke's hazily outlined figure pacing back and forth in long strides across the room, into his study, and back out again. He had not come back last night, or at least, not before Hinata had fallen asleep, so it was a bit of a surprise to see him in the morning. Though why she should even be surprised by his erratic and spontaneous appearances and disappearances was uncertain.

At times, he would suddenly stop pacing and begin fixing something on his desk that seemed out of place to him or he would open his drawers to double check if everything was as it should be. He did this, several times. Sasuke's lack of trust seemed to her, to also extend to inanimate objects. Occasionally, he would also stand there, perfectly still, and Hinata would busy herself with trying to sound asleep. Sasuke was his strangest at night, and Hinata did not want to take any chances after everything that had happened. Finally, seemingly done with his frantic pacing, Sasuke disappeared into his study, closed the door and didn't come back out. Eventually she could tell that he had gone to take a shower.

The clock told her it was only half an hour past four, too early to be awake. Hinata let out a relieved sigh, happy to be able to go back to sleep, even if it would only be for another hour or so. But a few minutes of tossing and turning to get comfortable told her that sleep was not going to come easy. Her thoughts were completely anchored onto Sasuke and the barrage of questions towards his peculiar behavior invaded and occupied them. If he didn't sleep in his own room, where in the world did he sleep? And why was he so averse from wanting to sleep in his own room? Did he even sleep at all? Maybe he slept for a few hours in the dead of night but simply disappeared before she woke up again. Maybe he slept when he was supposed to be at school. Could it be her fault in any way? But she disregarded the idea and found it too ridiculous of a notion that she was important enough for Sasuke to go through such lengths to avoid her.

Taking another deep breath, she tried to lure herself back to sleep, but her thoughts still broadened, this time to include Uchiha Itachi. Inevitably, she recalled her earth shattering conversation with Neji the other day. Worry once again seized her heart, wiring her nerves until she could no longer relax. She wanted to talk to Sasuke about it, to ask him, but she knew it was useless. If she asked him about the engagement, that would reveal more than she wanted him to find out, but at the very least, she wanted to know what the relationship was between he and his brother. And… Hinata thought with increasing horror, if Sasuke knew "Hinata". There was still the chance that he didn't recognize her in the disguise, but it wasn't entirely improbable for him to be aware of even acquainted with her true self. She had been, after all, engaged to her brother in the past, he must've at least known that.

However, she knew it was a near impossible task to ask him and to actually receive an answer. Hinata wasn't even sure if anyone could really call them _friends_. Although everyone kept making it a point to tell her that Sasuke treated her with an unusual amount of friendliness, she had yet to feel at ease when talking to him. It made absolutely no sense to her why she was so afraid to speak to him. Years of spending her life at the mercy of the strict and critical males of the Hyuuga clan had practically left her immune to the kind of cutting remarks and insults that Sasuke was capable of. Admittedly, it was never easy for Hinata to deal with harsh words, but she had learned from an early age that as the clan's heir, taking such things too personally would lead her to an early grave.

Hinata had lived her life as a pacifist, deathly afraid of conflict and always striving to be pleasantly neutral in the eyes of others. So, why did it matter if Sasuke didn't like her? Wasn't it enough that he wasn't troubling her? Hinata felt uneasy with the conclusion she reached. Did she perhaps… _like_ him? Hinata, alarmed, sat up quickly, stunned by this idea.

It wasn't possible… was it? If she liked him, she would _know_ wouldn't she? Hinata sighed in relief, comforted by the belief that one couldn't actually like someone without even being aware of it. She felt calmer now after having reasoned that it was too ridiculous of an idea and that she had just been over thinking. She only wanted to be friends with him, not _date_ him. As she continued to think this over, Sasuke had reappeared out of his bathroom with a new change of clothes and a towel draped around his neck. The pleasant smell of soap and hot water filled the air.

"You're up," he said in a low voice.

"Hai," she replied, eyeing him warily, the possibility of her liking him still there even if she decided that it couldn't possibly be true.

"Did I wake you?" he asked, letting out a brief sigh while towel drying his hair. She was slightly unsettled by the casualness of his manner.

"I was going to get up anyway," she told him.

"So I did," he said, more as a statement of fact than a guilty confession.

"Um… Uchiha-san, can I ask you a question?"

"Aren't you already asking one?" he retorted.

"Th-That's true," Hinata pinkened, it had never occurred to her before that the request to ask a question was a question and was… a bit redundant, but her habit of asking permission when touching upon personal subjects couldn't be shaken. "I noticed that you don't really spend much time in our room –which I understand, there isn't anything to really do here, but you don't really sleep here either…" she uttered in nervousness. "So, I was wondering, where do you sleep if not here?"

The question seemed to surprise him, either because he didn't expect it or he didn't expect someone as timid as her to ask. For a moment he remained silent with a concentrated look on his face and Hinata could tell that he was working out an excuse in his head or filtering the truth into a more appropriate answer.

"I can't sleep," he replied, in that slow and wary tone that suggested that he was slightly ashamed of it. He was silent afterwards and gave no explanation of what he meant by not being able to sleep.

Nightmares, anxiety, stress and everything else under the umbrella of mental anguish was Hinata's guess. It wasn't the same, the way he said it and meant it, as when Gaara told her he simply _didn't_ sleep. Sasuke couldn't sleep, he wanted to, but couldn't. The pacing from before, the meticulous attention into the detail of all his belongings seemed to be manifestations of his inability to cope with whatever was bothering him.

A daring idea suddenly came to her.

"Wait for me," Hinata suddenly told him as she hopped out of bed. "Don't go anywhere," she warned him before she disappeared into her bathroom, leaving him with a puzzled look on his face.

Hinata went to the sink, splashing a handful of cold water onto her face before wiping it off with a soft towel. She proceeded to brush her teeth and then finally, she ran a comb through her hair until she was satisfied with its presentation. Reappearing out of the bathroom minutes later, Sasuke, as directed, was still in the room. He sat upon his bed, massaging the back of his neck as he waited for her.

"You're still here!" she exclaimed.

"You told me not to go anywhere," he replied, slightly peeved at the scale of her reaction.

"L-Let's get breakfast," she said, her cheeks thoroughly reddening at the suggestion. She had just wanted to talk to him and felt that it would be the most efficient way if she did it over food, but for some reason, the words came out sounding more intimate than she had meant them.

"Ah," he said, surprised. "Sure." Once again, Hinata hadn't expected him to give in so easily.

A few minutes later, the two of them left the dormitory. The sky was still pitch black, but Hinata could tell morning was soon to approach by the dull twilight blue that was creeping over the horizon and the steep drop in temperature that came with dawn. Sasuke followed a pace behind her obediently as she led him to the cafeteria, their footsteps sounding abnormally loud when the rest of the world was still clinging to their last moments of slumber.

"It doesn't look like anything is open," he pointed out as they came to the cafeteria area, everything appearing slightly ghost-like and eerie in the darkness.

"I'll make something then," she said, giving him a reassuring smile. Ever since she got sick, she had learned that breakfast wasn't a meal to be skipped, especially if lunch and dinner consisted only of ramen. "What do you want to eat?" she asked, leading him inside.

"What do you usually make?"

"Rice, steamed vegetables and takuan," she said, almost laughing at the expression on his face. "What do you usually have?" she asked as they headed to the storage room to grab some supplies.

"Bread."

"That's it?"

"I guess," he replied with a shrug.

"Hmm… let's see what we can make," she said as they stepped inside.

The storage room basically consisted of rows after rows of shelves containing the dry food and cooking supplies that students were free to use. There was another steel door that led to the refrigerated room for the perishable items. As she looked through the variety of shelves, she had expected Sasuke would go his own way, but instead he ended up following her absent mindedly without looking at any of the items available. She couldn't help thinking that Sasuke could be at times, incredibly helpless.

"Are you going to look?" she frowned.

"Me?" Sasuke asked. "I'm fine with whatever you're having." Hinata doubted that.

"Look anyway," Hinata asserted. If he wasn't looking at the shelves, he ended up looking at her, and her thoughts from earlier made her more sensitive than usual to Sasuke's staring.

"Fine…" he said reluctantly as he turned his eyes to the shelves and started scanning them.

But, like young child who didn't want to lose sight of a parent, he stubbornly continued to follow her whenever she tried to leave him behind to start on a new shelf.

"Pancakes?" she suggested after passing by a box of mix.

"I don't mind." Although technically he agreed, Hinata felt that she would be forcing him to eat it if she made it, so she tried again.

"French toast?"

"If you want…" Sasuke replied unenthusiastically again.

"Cereal?"

"Cereal?" he repeated, a hint of interest in his voice. "They actually have that? How childish," he added, but it was evident that he wanted it.

"You want cereal?" she asked again.

"…If you want," he muttered.

"If I want?" she said with a knowing smile, not meaning to tease him, but she couldn't help herself.

"That's what I said," he said, avoiding her gaze.

"We can always have something else," she suggested.

"Cereal is fine," he stated quickly.

"If that's what you want," she said with a cattish grin.

"I-You…" his expression hopelessly lost, "…whatever," he said, clearly embarrassed now.

"Cereal sounds good," she said laughingly. "Uchiha-san, can you help me?" she asked. The box on the shelf was just out of her arm's reach. She perched on the tip of her toes, but she was still not tall enough.

He made a disgruntled noise as he came up behind her to grab the box for her. She could hear him mutter, "short" under his breath.

"Hey, I'll have a growth spurt eventually," she told him, even though she was certain that she probably wasn't going to get any taller than she already was.

After fetching a pitcher of milk and eating utensils, the two decided to eat their cereal indoors since dawn had chilled the air, leaving wet dew upon all the outdoor tables. They headed downstairs to indoors canteen, which was much larger than Hinata had expected, and she was rather unnerved by the idea of sitting in such a large room alone with Sasuke. Even though Hinata was used to being alone in the same room with him, she had never been obligated to make conversation, especially when he was so close to her.

Hinata had to scold herself to keep her heart from racing, reminding herself that there was no reason to be so nervous. She watched as Sasuke tipped the pitcher of milk, the white liquid streaming into his cereal bowl. Her stomach was in knots and she wondered how she could possibly eat anything. But, deciding that Sasuke was probably just as uneasy being alone with her, she should at least pretend to appear normal.

When it was her turn to pour the milk into her bowl, she was dismayed at the sight of her shaking hands. It didn't help that Sasuke was watching her the whole time. With extra care, she somehow managed to pour it into her bowl without spilling any of the milk. Setting it down to the side, she dipped her spoon into the bowl.

"Itadakimasu," she said. He muttered it too after her in his usual grumpy and disinterested manner.

"I haven't had cereal in a long time," she remarked, trying to ease the awkward silence between them.

"Me either," he replied.

Silence again… she could hear the crunching sounds of him eating. Disturbed at how quiet it was, she began eating herself. As soon as she put the spoon in her mouth, she was aware that he was staring at her again. Her cheeks automatically began to redden as her eyes remained fixed on her bowl.

"So…" Sasuke said, this time breaking the silence. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Huh?" she asked, finally bringing herself to look up at him.

"Isn't that why you asked me here?"

"It's not as formal as that," she replied anxiously. "I-I feel like for roommates, we don't know each other very well," she explained.

"Really…" he said, his voice oddly strained, as if what she said was somehow ironic.

"Like, you never told me where you go at night when you don't return to the dorm to sleep," she reminded him sternly.

"Well–" Sasuke said slowly as he once again tried to think of an appropriate answer. For a second, Hinata thought he would tell her to mind her own business again, but he surprised her with a rather honest answer. "I'm usually at the gym, and because the infirmary is closer, if I want to take a nap I just go there."

"Why?" she asked.

"Since I can't sleep, I might as well do something useful," he replied, matter-of-factly.

"No, not that… why can't you sleep?" she asked, keenly observing his face. The question caught him off guard and once again, he stooped into silence as he tried to figure out what type of answer he should give her. Remembering the nightmares he frequently had, she decided to spare him from having to answer such a personal question. "Never mind, you don't have to answer that," she told him with a supportive smile.

He looked down at his cereal bowl, which was almost empty while hers remained barely untouched. "If you don't eat it quickly, your cereal will get soggy," he pointed out.

"Oh! I forgot," she said, quickly shoveling a few spoons full of the cereal into her mouth.

"How do you forget to eat? No wonder you're still so short," he said tauntingly.

"You're right, I should be more careful," she said with an acknowledging smile.

He frowned, unexpectedly. "Why do you always say that?"

"Say what?" she asked, confused by the sudden seriousness of his tone.

"_You're right_," he quoted for her.

"Because you are," she replied, still unsure of what he meant by that comment.

"I'm not always right," he replied moodily. "And… you're not always wrong."

She looked at him with astonishment for a few silent seconds before replying, with a good-natured smile, "You're right."

"Really –you… forget it, you're hopeless."

* * *

Sakura glanced at her watch quickly, making sure she had enough time before she had to head off to class. Seeing that she had a good fifteen minutes left, she ran back into the bathroom to reapply some of her pink shimmer lip gloss. Satisfied, she smacked her lips a few times before practicing her charming smile and wink combo in front of the mirror.

With another spritz of cherry blossom perfume (to match her name) on her neck, Sakura was ready to face a new day. Every day was a battle for love and Sakura had to be well-equipped if she was going to have any hope of winning over the boy she loved.

Sakura had tried every technique, read all the books, studied all the movies, and spent hour after hour trying to figure out how she could capture Sasuke's heart. She tried to be cute and coy, cold and mysterious, energetic and lively, delicate and sweet, but nothing worked. And of course, in the end these so called "professionals" just tell her to just be herself, making her toss all her books and tapes out the window for playing mind games and scamming her out of money that could've been better spent. Honestly, first they tell you guys like girls who are cute, then they tell you they like girls who are tomboys, but in the end they tell you that being yourself was the best method. If that were true, Sakura thought, she would've captured Sasuke's heart a long time ago.

Besides, what did "being yourself" even mean? Sakura, as an impressionable fifteen year old girl, honestly didn't think it meant anything. All she knew was that she had loved Sasuke for at least half her life and if that wasn't a part of her identity, she didn't know what was. As Sakura tied her cloth hair band on, she practiced another pretty smile before leaving the bathroom. As she came out, she spotted Ino slipping on her shoes.

"Ready?" Ino asked, looking up with a grin.

"Born ready," Sakura said, returning it with a cheeky grin of her own.

Sakura and Ino didn't have a normal friendship by any means. Their friendship consisted of a rivalry, a fight to the death to see who could win Sasuke's affections first. Somewhere along the way, this was what Sakura's life had become. Sasuke had become more than simply just a boy she liked. He had become her reason for getting up in the morning, the reason she took extra care of her looks, the reason she studied harder, tried harder and worked harder to become a person worthy of one day obtaining his love. Even Sakura admitted that her love, at times, reached unhealthy proportions, but she couldn't imagine the Sakura that wasn't in love with Sasuke.

"Hey did you hear?" Ino asked as the two walked out the door together.

"Hear what?"

"Some of the freshmen have decided to make a Sasuke and Hikaru fanclub," Ino told her, trying to hold in her laughter, but quite unsuccessfully when she burst into a fit of giggles.

"You can't be serious…" Sakura moaned, scrunching her face in disgust. But Sakura wasn't all that surprised. Since they all went to a rather secluded boarding school, most people had way too much time on their hands to invest their energy into odd hobbies and pastimes.

"I am," Ino said, wiping away a stray tear. "With all the talk of Sasuke having no interest in females and now the casting of the play announced. It seems that they've become a popular couple."

"Are you kidding me?" Sakura exclaimed, frustrated. "Argh! Those stupid freshmen! Sasuke is _not_ gay," she groaned.

"Well does it matter?" Ino asked with a smirk. "Man or woman, either way you'll plow them down," Ino laughed. Sakura decided not to dignify her comment with an answer, mainly because it was a very true statement.

"Of course it matters. If Sasuke only liked men, that would pretty much dwindle my chances down to nothing. Besides, why are you taking this so well?"

"I just find the whole thing absolutely hilarious," Ino reassured her, looping an arm around hers. "Should we have a 'talk' with the fan club?" Ino asked with a mischievous grin.

"No," Sakura told her with a sigh, knowing very well that Ino loved to cause trouble just for the sake of her own amusement. "As long as none of them are competing against me, they can do whatever the hell they want. Besides, I'm more mature now. I'm not so petty that I would trash a fan club," Sakura told her.

"What about that Naruto x Sasuke fan club from two years ago?" Ino asked skeptically, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Two years ago," Sakura stated. That day when she and Ino completely wrecked their club meeting and terrorized those freaks was not a crowning moment of her life. But at the time, she was furious at them for even considering the idea that Naruto and Sasuke could ever secretly be in love with each other, that their hatred was simply unresolved _sexual tension_.

"My, my, Sakura, you _have_ grown," Ino sighed. Sakura didn't like the hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"What do they call it?"

"Sasuhika," Ino said with another peal of laughter. "I mean, I can see why it's appealing. Hikaru does look awfully feminine."

"So? I look awfully feminine and I don't see anyone making a SasuSaku fanclub," Sakura retorted, but even she had to admit that Hikaru looked very much like a girl, not to mention, their heights were oddly perfect for each other… and they had the whole Romeo and Juliet scenario going on with their clan rivalry… Sakura shook these thoughts from her mind with an angry scowl. It annoyed her that Hikaru made a better girl than… an actual girl.

"Don't be so grumpy, you'll end up with wrinkles before twenty," Ino warned her. Sakura sighed, trying to relax, silently telling herself that there was no reason to get so worked up.

"Whatever, it'll blow over once the novelty wears off," Sakura said with a shrug.

"How _mature_ of you," Ino laughed again.

"You sure are giddy today," Sakura pointed out suspiciously.

"Of course I am, don't you know what today is?"

"Should I know?" Sakura asked with a frown.

"Today is the first day of science class. You know what the means…"

"Oh my god, you're right!" Sakura said, feeling stupid for having forgotten. "Sasuke-kun's older brother is going to be the new TA." (A/N: teacher assistant)

"Bingo," Ino replied with a sly smirk.

"Ino, don't be so obviously boy crazy. But if you leave Sasuke-kun for his brother, I won't stop you. Of course, that means Sasuke-kun will be all mine," Sakura said, returning her smirk.

"In your dreams forehead-girl," Ino replied, giving her a friendly shove.

Sakura had to admit she was curious about Sasuke's older brother Itachi. He was just like Sasuke in almost all respects, except older. They were exceptionally good-looking, cool and prodigies that excelled in just about everything. But, Sakura was resolved to only have eyes for Sasuke, who was after all, her one and only.

The two arrived to class with barely seconds to spare. Kakashi had just arrived and had started scribbling something onto the chalkboard that neither could make out. Sakura swept through the classroom with her practiced smile, making a few boys look her way as she took her usual seat in the back of the classroom. Originally, Sakura wanted to sit closer to the front of the classroom so she could have better access to the teacher, but she also wanted to be closer to Sasuke who, without fail, always chose to sit in the back of the classroom. Today, she was happy to see that he had come to class, but why wouldn't he if today was also his older brother's first day of instruction?

If someone were to ask her what she liked about Sasuke, she would have to answer with "everything." Everything about him fascinated Sakura. His looks were impeccable, his personality, although admittedly there were times when he could act like a complete ass, it was also his charm point. It meant that he wasn't easy, that his respect and love didn't come cheap, which meant that in the end, it would be more than worth it if Sakura could just get him to look her way.

But most importantly, he was beautiful. Sakura felt that by just looking at him, she could start spouting poetry, which would've been quite a feat for her. She was captivated by his beauty that reminded her of ice: startlingly harsh and breathtakingly cold. Just being near him made her knees weak, turn to jelly, threatening to collapse her to the floor. Something about him just made her brain switch off. He left her impotent and giggling senselessly, drunk on love. They say that it's not love because she was too young, but Sakura had cried an ocean of tears and smiled for hours on end for this boy, and if that wasn't love then real love was going to kill her.

Today, particularly, Sakura found it hard to concentrate in class as she stared bashfully over at Sasuke. He seemed to be in a better mood than usual, looking a lot hotter in her opinion when he wasn't radiating contempt. Sakura had spent so much time looking at Sasuke that she could recognize if even a fraction of a change came over his facial expression. She wondered what had put him in such a good mood. Usually, the day after Valentine's Day meant that Sasuke would either not bother to show up or he would bring with him the nastiest scowl one could imagine to class.

As she stared at him, content with his perfection, she noticed something slightly different in his behavior today. His expression seemed more forlorn than usual, more thoughtful. For a few minutes, Sakura brainstormed the cause, thinking that perhaps it was because of his brother, but following his gaze she was proven wrong. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she realized the person who was commanding Sasuke's attention was Hikaru! It was unmistakable, Sakura thought, as she followed the line of his gaze over and over again to make sure she wasn't imagining things. His attention, like a magnet, kept returning to the spot near the window where Hikaru sat. The other boy, sitting in complete ignorance was attentively listening to the lecture, taking no notice of the silent drama that unfolded a few rows over.

Sakura felt that she had to be mistaken. That it was all too convenient, especially after Ino had informed her about the latest craze of the school's yaoi fanatics. It wasn't possible was it…? No, she had to be seeing things, Sakura thought. Sasuke was _not_ gay, but now Sakura couldn't deny that Sasuke was definitely looking at him. No one else would've seen it, but Sakura's eyes were trained to notice the slightest fluctuations in Sasuke's expression and there was no denying that there was something there. He looked at Hikaru as if… as if… he didn't _mind_ looking at him. The logical side of her brain tried to argue that she was being overly sensitive, but her intuition was setting off screeching alarms that warned her of danger.

Sakura looked over at Hikaru, who looked disgustingly angelic when bathed in the golden afternoon sunlight spilling from the window. If Sakura didn't know better, she could have mistaken him for a girl, and a really horrifyingly cute one at that. She bit down on her bottom lip, which tasted of her strawberry lipgloss. For the first time in her life, Sakura felt threatened in her pursuit for Sasuke's attention, and she could feel the whole irony of her situation over the fact that this threat was not even by a girl, but by a guy. Hikaru would soon learn the dangers of Sakura's growing scorn.

* * *

**A/N:** Do any Sasuhina fans actually like Sakura? Personally I think she's a fun character, just totally wrong for Sasuke. And of course as a Sasuhina fic, Sakura has got to stir up some trouble, it's just expected, just like eventually I have to have Hinata running around buck naked because she has her clothes stolen or taken away. Yes I know, Hinata has enough problems, but really, what kind of school story would it be without petty school drama?

As for your theories from the last chapter's question... well I got to say they were interesting... but most of you were waaaaay off, which I guess is a good thing because you're all in for a surprise then (especially if you were surprised by Sasuke knowing Hinata's real identity).

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**Review Please! Thank you! C:**


	14. Moment of Truth

**A Man's World**

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A/N: Chapters have been pretty short lately since I wanted to release them as fast as I could, but I'll be sure to make them longer in the future. Thanks for the reviews!

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**Chapter 14 Moment of Truth**

Uchiha Itachi was the single most talked about person since the announcement came that he would be coming back to Konoha Academy. Girls and guys alike were all excited to meet him. He was a prodigy, one of the school's most famous alumni as well as Sasuke's older brother. A fan club had already been forming amongst the female student population in response to his arrival and it was hard to go anywhere without his name suddenly coming up in conversation. Everyone's interest in Itachi was so great, that it completely overshadowed the fact that there would also be a new Science teacher.

The only person who didn't seem to look forward to his coming was none other than Sasuke himself. Every time someone approached him about his brother, he would immediately blow up. After a rumor that he broke someone's arm for asking about Itachi spread around the school, no one dared ask him again. Hinata wondered at the validity of the rumor, but she was lumped together with the rest of the people who dared not ask.

On the fateful day, everyone waited impatiently for sixth period to start. Hinata, as well as all the other students in class, kept a fixed watch on the sliding door of the classroom as everyone anxiously awaited the arrival of their new science teacher as well as the accompanying teacher's assistant. Unlike most of the class, she had already come face to face with Itachi, not once, but twice. Originally, she was even looking forward to seeing Itachi teach class, but after learning of her past involvement with him, she probably wanted to avoid him as much as Sasuke did. Nervous, she didn't even notice that a few seats over, Sasuke too was battling with a deep turmoil of his own as he awaited the appearance of his older brother.

They didn't have to wait long when the door slid open again and the murmuring and restless chattering of the students abruptly stopped as the two men walked in. The first to enter was a deathly pale man whom Hinata could only presume was the rumored Orochimaru. The ominous atmosphere that surrounded him and the eerie smile he had plastered on to his face, as if drawn on by a thin permanent marker, sent chills down her spine. His face was taut with sunken and emaciated cheeks that made him seem _reptilian_. However, it was his unnaturally glowing eyes that were the strangest of all; they burned as if trapped within his irises were the flames from a chemical fire. Combined with an exceptionally thin frame and a white lab coat, Hinata could easily see how some people could draw the Mad Scientist resemblance.

Following him was Itachi with an expression of complete apathy on his face. He seemed completely undisturbed by the gawking eyes of the students and came in quietly. Even with his unassuming entrance, his charisma was evident. There was no pretentious airs needed, flashy clothing or even a graceful smile to feel that he was _superior_ to everyone else.

Hinata was stunned by his charisma. There was something frighteningly dark and powerful lurking beneath that placid exterior, an unintelligible depth that Sasuke did not yet possess. Itachi reminded her of a proverb she had learned, that still waters run deep. The more she saw of him, the less he resembled his younger brother. He made Sasuke appear immature, childish, superfluously emotional and simple-minded in comparison. Like a dark cloud breeding a terrible storm, though no one could see it, electricity coursed through the air, heightening everyone's awareness of the hidden destruction that Itachi was capable of.

The coal black eyes quickly scanned the room, before matching Sasuke's own. Hinata turned her head to quickly check the reaction of the younger brother and she was taken aback by the look of complete and utter loathing on his face. Itachi was impervious, returning his animosity with indifference before ceasing to acknowledge him altogether.

"As you know," Orochimaru begun to say after clearing his throat, but in his voice still remained an irritatingly raspy quality. "I am your new science teacher." He turned to the blackboard and began scratching his name out in white chalk, creating that screechy nail on board sound that made a handful of the students wince painfully. "And this is my assistant Uchiha-sensei. He won't be teaching as much as he will be observing the class for future reference," he said, gesturing towards Itachi, who simply assented with the slightest nod without introducing himself or offering the class any words.

Several hands shot up in the air impatiently after Orochimaru returned to face the students. Sensing that these questions would most likely have nothing to do with the actual class and everything to do with the personal relationship between Itachi and Sasuke, Orochimaru ignored the hands until they dejectedly fell back down one by one.

"Then I will start explaining to you some basic ground rules for the class," Orochimaru told them, satisfied by the students' defeated looks.

For the next fifteen minutes Orochimaru proceeded to inform them of his expectations for the class, what they planned to learn, and the special rules required for a science class, which carried with it many dangers. The class listened and was disappointed to find that this new class wouldn't be any different from the other five they were already taking.

"Does anyone have any relevant questions?" Orochimaru asked, after going over his syllabus.

Everyone was alert to the single hand that rose. It belonged to Sasuke. The thin line that passed as Orochimaru's mouth marginally extended upwards with curious glee.

"Go ahead," he ordered.

"I have a question, but not about the class material," Sasuke stated, his eyes, brimming with hostility, blatantly fixed upon Itachi. "Actually, I have a question for _that guy_," his voice laced with venom.

"Yes?" Itachi replied, rising to the challenge and looking Sasuke straight back in the eyes, but unlike his younger brother, they betrayed no emotion.

It seemed as if the whole class collectively sucked in their breaths, holding it as they all sat in the calm before a storm. And all Hinata could do was look back and forth between the two with great distress, silently hoping with all her heart for Sasuke to not doing anything rash.

"Why the hell are _you_ here?" Sasuke spat, shooting up from his seat. "What makes you think I'm just going to sit here and let you walk in here so casually?" he yelled, fury evident in his voice.

Everyone shrank in their seat reflexively at the loud outburst. Hinata wanted to stop the fight that was brewing, but found she could do nothing but remain paralyzed in her seat as he watched the scene unfold.

"Is that all you have to say?" Itachi asked, uninterested.

As quick as a flash of lightning, Sasuke lunged across the room towards his brother with an expression capable of murder. Immediately, a few of the guys shot up in front of him, blocking him from attacking Itachi while another was holding him from the back.

"I'll kill you, you bastard!" Sasuke yelled, as he struggled against his restraints, almost unaware that his own classmates were holding onto him as his eyes remained fixed with hatred on his brother.

Overpowering the guys that held him by deftly punching them in the gut or shoving them aside, Sasuke once again made his attempts towards his brother. Itachi stood up nonchalantly as Sasuke ran towards him, his fists bunched in the air ready to strike him, but Itachi moved fluidly away to avoid getting hit and in one swift movement, Itachi struck him on the neck with two fingers and before anyone could figure out what had happened, sent Sasuke crashing to the ground.

"I apologize for the rudeness of my younger brother. I promise it won't happen again," Itachi said finally, inspecting the limp body on the floor. With ease, he lifted Sasuke off of the ground as if he was a sack of potatoes. "I'll be right back," he said, addressing all of this not to the class, but to Orochimaru, before leaving the room.

The whole class was left in gaping awe, dumbfounded in to silence as Itachi left with Sasuke. Hinata as well, could barely process the chain of events that had happened within those mere seconds. As she watched Itachi carry Sasuke out of the room, Hinata felt a surge of anger course through her veins.

Even though she was frightened stiff, she knew she couldn't just return her attention back to class as if it was as easy as flipping a switch. There was something wrong with this whole situation, Hinata thought desperately. A fellow classmate of theirs had suddenly gone berserk, attacked his own brother, only to be knocked unconscious in return. And already, many of the students were pretending as if it was none of their business, pretending as if they weren't a witness to this disturbing scene. Even with her sheltered upbringing, Hinata knew that she had to do something; she couldn't just sit idly by.

Steeling her nerves, Hinata resolved to follow them. She wasn't sure what she would do once she caught up with them, but she needed answers. From day one, the questions kept accumulating one by one and she knew that Itachi held the key to them. What happened between the two Uchiha brothers, what happened between the Uchiha and the Hyuuga, and… what happened between Itachi and herself? Hinata stood up in her seat determinedly, the screeching sound of her chair being pushed back made a startlingly loud noise.

"E-Excuse me!" she announced, her conviction already wavering by the sea of eyes staring at her. Doing her best to ignore them, she quickly bowed respectfully to Orochimaru before heading out the door. Luckily, no one said anything or else her will power would've been immediately extinguished.

Hinata quickly made her way out of the hallways and then out of the school building, her mind filled only with the thought of catching up to Itachi. When she scaled the grassy pathway, she spotted Itachi carrying Sasuke towards the boy's dormitory. Seeing Sasuke's limp figure carried around Itachi's arm fueled her on. But before she could reach them, Itachi had already disappeared into the dormitory. She hurried after him.

However, before she could pass through the main entrance, Itachi suddenly materialized in front of her, scaring her and making her fall back a few steps with a yelp. His dark eyes bore down at her as she placed an unsteady hand over her rapidly beating heart. Now that she was in front of him, she had no idea what to say.

"If you're wondering about Sasuke, he's fine," Itachi said, snapping Hinata out of her moment of timidity.

"What did you do to him?" Hinata demanded, but was still intimidated by his looming presence.

"Nothing serious, he'll be awake in an hour or so," he informed her. With the assurance of Sasuke's safety, Hinata was once again at a loss for words, unsure of what to say next. Noticing that she wasn't going to speak, Itachi gently maneuvered past her to return to the classroom.

"Wait!" she cried, knowing that if she didn't seize this chance, she might not be brave enough to venture for another one.

"Come with me," told her in a low, but commanding voice without turning around and without stopping.

All her teachings as the Hyuuga heiress had taught her to not follow strangers, but she found herself trailing after him anyway. This man that she used to be engaged to, this man that Sasuke hated: she wanted to know more about him. So, she followed him, knowing full well that she might find out things she didn't want to know and that afterwards, nothing might ever be the same again. Either way, after she took the first step, there was no stopping again.

* * *

The aftermath of the fight, if you could call it a fight, between Sasuke and his brother left everyone in the classroom shocked. But for Sakura, who loved Sasuke, her heart throbbed painfully in her chest until she found it difficult to breathe. It was not just because Sasuke was hurt, physically and figuratively, but because she, who was supposed to be completely dedicated to him, who breathed for him, could do nothing except sit there like a complete imbecile as she watched him be carried away.

It was _Hikaru_, someone Sakura had taken for without any backbone, who went after them. _She_ was supposed to be the one who stood up defiantly to chase after him. But instead, she was scared. Uchiha Itachi was nothing like she had expected. There was something dead about his eyes, so wholly uncaring and empty that she couldn't react. She could sense it in the other students within the class too; that innate fear of being faced with a being much larger and more powerful than yourself that all you could do was reflexively cower in its presence. It hadn't bothered her before, the fact that Itachi was someone who took the lives of others for a living. But, facing him was an entirely different story. Itachi was the type of person who could kill you without the slightest provocation to obtain ends that justified means.

She had never felt anything like it, the closest being that of a year ago when Gaara had transferred to the school with his siblings. She had remembered the day pretty well, when she and Ino had decided to check out the new transfer students out of curiosity. He had hair the color of freshly spilled blood and green eyes as sharp as glass. The way the atmosphere around him was thick with a destructive bloodlust had cut her straight to the bone. Anyone who had met Gaara once never wanted to meet him again. Luckily she never came across his path again, only occasionally spotting him in the distance when he roamed the school at night like a malevolent ghost. However, it was different from Itachi. She could sense no bloodlust or violent desire in him, simply a resolved will.

"Let us resume class then," Orochimaru said finally, that creepy smile still on his face.

Neither Itachi nor Hikaru returned by the chime of the last bell. Sakura was miserable, more miserable than she had been in a long time. She had felt so confident this morning, but everything that happened today had left her drained and tired out.

If she couldn't even throw herself into danger for Sasuke, did she have the right to say that she loved him with all her heart? She was disappointed in herself, in her own ability, in her own weakness. She smiled pitifully to herself as she walked back to her room; she was not good enough for Sasuke, her half-assed love wasn't good enough for him. Sakura clenched her fists tightly as she resolved that from now on, she would have to work even harder to be worthy of him.

For Sakura, a blockade had appeared in her path, but there was no walking around it. Because her path had always been straight, so straight and narrow that she was blind to the existence of any other way to go.

* * *

Hinata followed Itachi, still unsure as to whether or not she was making the right choice. Either way, it didn't matter anymore. He had led her behind the large dome that was the theater building at school, the place where they would perform their play in the future. A secluded little area, supplied with two wooden benches, sufficient shade from a few scattered trees as well as a lone vending machine carrying drinks. However, the wonder of the place was its breath taking view of the forest behind the school that made one feel as if they could see to the ends of the Earth.

"What is this place?" Hinata asked as she approached the fenced off cliff that kept students from plummeting to their deaths. What she meant to ask was why he took her there, but he understood what she meant regardless.

"You don't know?" Itachi replied softly.

"Should I?" Hinata peeled her gaze from the scenery before her back to the older Uchiha.

He remained silent, inspecting her countenance for a few seconds as if he had made a mistake of some sort. Hinata looked back at him, surprised by her own daring and also by the fact that she hadn't turned into the blushing and stammering fool that so often became of her.

"Perhaps not," he finally answered, leaving her confused. She waited for him to say more, but realizing that he would not offer any explaination, she decided that she would use this chance to ask him the questions that were plaguing her mind.

"What happened back there?" she asked, careful about her wording. Even after all her daring today, she was still concerned with offending him.

"Did you forget everything?" he asked with a trace of surprise in his words. She looked back at him, confused. "Of course you did, but… absolutely everything?"

"What do you mean by everything?" she asked with a frown. She wished someone would just give her a straight answer for once. He looked at her again with those inquisitive eyes that seemed to be looking into her own mind.

"Well I should've expected as much, you were very young back then," Itachi said, letting out a small sigh. She shouldn't have been surprised that he knew, but all the same she tensed up at learning that another person knew her true identity.

"We –we were engaged," she blurted out, blushing this time.

"Ah, that," he said with nostalgic smile. "You remember that?"

"No, my cousin told me…"

"So you don't remember it."

"No," she replied regrettably. "But, I want to know what happened. Why was it broken?"

"Now why was it…" he mused, not because he was trying to remember, but because he wondered if he should tell her.

"Are you going to tell me?" she asked, increasingly frustrated by the way he kept evading all her questions.

"Hinata," the gentleness and warmth of his tone surprised her. "These are all things you used to know. It's you who chose to forget them."

"Chose to forget?" Hinata repeated, her eyebrows knitted in concentration. "Did I forget something…?" she asked, surprised at how strangely she felt at hearing the words, as if there was recollection just under the surface of her subconscious that was waiting to surface, but couldn't. The crushing feeling of déjà vu kept suddenly hit her. Yes…there was something that she had forgotten, but what was it?

"Do you want to know?"

"W-What did I forget?" she asked.

"You forgot me," he offered.

"We used to… know each other?" Hinata asked, her head starting to ache. She had to take a seat on one of the nearby benches, and were infinitely glad that they were there.

"I built you a swing," he told her.

Hinata's eyes widened, she could barely remember it, but she knew it to be true. She could vaguely recall now the excitement and joy after realizing that a swing had been built for her. That was how she and Itachi had become friends, but why couldn't she remember the rest of it? She grimaced, her head starting to pound even harder now.

"I-I remember, but I don't," she said, looking down the clean gray concrete ground. She took in several deep breaths to try to clear her head.

"I used to spend time with you whenever my family came over to the Hyuuga estate; you used to force me to sit with you while you read me stories from your books; you told me the secret to making a great green tea the best was to add a single cherry blossom petal," he said as he started to suddenly list event after event as the memories floated back to the surface as soon as they reached her ears, as if the words were unlocking them.

"Wait–" she told him desperately, needing more time to absorb the returning information. But he didn't wait.

"…And I killed almost everyone in my clan."

* * *

**A/N:** Short chapter is short, but we're finally getting somewhere at least. I don't know if the ending was actually climatic since you know... it also happens in the Narutoverse so it shouldn't be all that DUNDUNDUN. Random Sakura break in the middle because well, she just always has to be in the way doesn't she? Hah...

* * *

**Review Please! Thanks. C;**


	15. Of Lost Things

**A Man's World**

* * *

A/N: A handful of reviewers asked about the last line of the previous chapter, and no you didn't read it wrong. I'll explain why when we learn more about later.

* * *

**Chapter 15 Of Lost Things**

"You're lying," the words came out of Hinata's mouth before she even had the chance to fully comprehend what Itachi had just said. He returned her alarmed expression with one of peculiar calm.

"Why is that?" he looked at her with interest.

"I-I," Hinata didn't know what to say, she thought furiously as to why she thought he was lying, but couldn't come up with any logical reason. "I don't know why I think that you're lying, I just do."

"Then how can you be so confident?" he asked.

She couldn't answer that question either. Everything was churning around in her head and she found it difficult to anchor to one thought at a time. Memories she weren't even aware that had existed were now dripping back slowly into immediate consciousness. Although she could now recall some of Itachi's visits from her childhood, she still couldn't recall all of them, and the memories she did regain, seemed like subdued half-truths with biased focal points.

However, there was one thing that came to her with startling clarity and that was the image of the thirteen year old Itachi. She now knew that he was the Uchiha boy who she was so fond of. And in the remnants of memory she had recovered, she could also now remember why. The young Itachi from her memory was a quiet, intelligent and thoughtfully mild-mannered boy. He got along with everyone he met and was always aware of the feelings and thoughts of those around him. Hinata could feel that Itachi was different from other people, even as a child, she had caught glimpses of that difference in the way the world reflected in his eyes.

"You're not that type of person," she argued. "You're not capable of killing someone." Itachi's expression remained unreadable, but she could tell he was processing and dissecting her words in his head like she had seen so many times when she was younger. Even the most insignificant comments, he would give serious thought to.

"A human being –"

"–is capable of anything," she finished for him, remembering the words of wisdom he used to impart on her. Back then, she had always thought it was a phrase meant for motivating her when she thought a task impossible, but now she recognized that to Itachi, the words weighed heavier than she could've ever imagined.

"Ah, you remembered," he said with a slight smile, but one that told her that he was pleased nonetheless. "A useful phrase…"

"I don't remember much at all," she replied with a frown. "I didn't even know that anything had happened to the Uchiha. And, I still don't believe you," she told him.

"Why would I lie about something like that?" he asked.

"Because you're that type of person," she replied with unreasonable determination. He now looked thoroughly amused of her evaluation of him.

"I'm sure Sasuke would beg to differ since I killed his parents," he said. "After all, I almost killed him too. I suppose though, he was one of the few lucky survivors," he said, his eyes hardening now, making Hinata mentally flinch.

"…Why? They were your parents too," Hinata said, feeling sick again. A shadowy doubt had started to seep into her mind, wearing away the unstable foundation of her earlier statements. What if he wasn't lying? What if he did almost wipe out the entire Uchiha clan? And what if he did murder his own parents? Hinata was not completely naïve; she knew the fragmented bits and pieces of her newly recovered memory couldn't fully be trusted, especially from the biased viewpoint of the infatuated child that she used to be.

"Does it matter?" he said with a breathy sigh. "What's done is done."

"Of course it matters, it might be the only thing that matters," she replied stubbornly, anger evident in her tone. Hinata knew that no one could bring back the dead, that nothing said or done could ever appease the loss of a human life, but one couldn't just dwell on the dead, nothing could be accomplished that way. However, it was a different story for those still living, for them it mattered. "Because if you know why someone did something, maybe it could be prevented from happening again. Maybe there was lesson to be learned."

"You've grown up," he said, genuinely surprised. She was taken aback by it, for a moment she was happy to hear him compliment her and had to mentally scold herself for being so easy to please. "However," he added, "if you knew the reason, what would you do with it?"

"It depends on the reason," Hinata said, determined to keep level headed even though her brain was starting to pound painfully against her temples to the point of passing out.

"Would you hate me if I could convince you it was true?" he asked expectantly.

"I –For some reason I," she began to say, but a sharp pain shot through her head with the precision of a knife and she gasped midsentence. Everything around her seemed as if it was shaking and she wasn't sure what was causing it: her body or her mind. She closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to stabilize her turbulent head. Her lunch was also threatening to come back up. She couldn't breathe and took a few minutes before she could even gain control of her senses.

"Drink this," she heard Itachi say. And when she opened her eyes again, she was faced with a plastic bottle of cold green tea. She looked up at him, confused by the actions that so often contradicted his words. While she was trying to regain her composure, he had bought her a drink from the vending machine.

"Thank you." She took it gratefully. Just the feeling of the cool liquid entering her body made her feel infinitely better.

"Sasuke should be awake soon. Give this to him," he told her, handing her another bottle of green tea that she didn't realize he was holding until now. "You should go check on him," he said, leaving her there before she even had the chance to stop him. However, because of her unsteady state of mind as well as body, she doubted she could've followed him even if she wanted to.

Hinata remained there, sitting in the cool air of the disappearing spring afternoon. All that was left was the sound of her breath as she stared out at the scenery of the thick forest in a daze. She wasn't sure what to believe, but if what Itachi had said was true, she knew she should feel a little more than simply sad and disappointed. She should be scared of him for doing something so cruel and heartless, yet she couldn't convince herself that he was either of those things.

If only she could just remember, Hinata thought pitifully. She looked down at the newly unopened bottle of shining brown liquid cupped in her hands. She tried to recall something specific from the time she was eight, but she couldn't. Anything she could remember was vague, such as images of her younger self reading or playing with Hanabi or her boredom during her father's strict lessons, things that could've been mistaken for any other year of her life.

She thought that by approaching Itachi, she would finally get the answers she was looking for, but instead, there were even more questions left unanswered, questions that started innocently enough with a curiosity to know about Sasuke had ended up as questions about the gaping black hole in her memory. And she couldn't help but also wonder if perhaps in the past, she had also known Sasuke.

* * *

_Flashback: The Hyuuga Estate Almost 9 Years Ago._

On a clear late spring afternoon, a seven year-old Sasuke found himself lost within the twisting corridors of the maze-like Hyuuga estate. Tired, frustrated and a little scared, angry tears were beginning to well up in his eyes as he dashed down the endless hallways absent-mindedly in search of his parents. Every inch and corner of the Hyuuga castle looked exactly the same to him and no matter where he turned, he couldn't find the room his family was in.

Earlier he had made the excuse of going to the bathroom to explore the grand castle that was so unlike his only average sized home. He had wanted to get away from the stuffy atmosphere in the room were serious-faced adults were talking in low and urgent tones about things he didn't understand and had no interest in understanding. The castle was bound to be much more interesting, probably filled with old rooms of medieval weaponry and maybe even a torture dungeon. He got the idea that there must be hidden treasure somewhere, maybe behind one of those secret corridor bookcases that he heard about from his classmates at school. Or maybe wailing ghosts wandered the dusty corridors crying out for revenge. Itachi told him that old castles _always _had ghosts and that if he looked, there was bound to be skeletons locked away in the closets of abandoned rooms. Either way, anything was better than what they were doing, or as his father called it "discussing politics", whatever that meant.

But he had been sorely disappointed. After searching the halls and peeking into the individual rooms he passed, he found nothing remotely interesting. He didn't understand why there were so many empty rooms. There wasn't even really any furniture! Also, there was no one else around, not even servants. Sometimes he thought he heard the sound of shuffling footsteps, but when he turned, there was no one there. Maybe the castle really was haunted. Sasuke felt like he had been running around for at least _hours_. The longer he ran, the more frenzied his pace. It was as if everyone in the place had simply disappeared.

This was Sasuke's first visit to the Hyuuga estate. Usually his parents would leave him with a babysitter when they went with his brother and a few other relatives to these clan meetings, but this was the first time they couldn't find one. Having no choice, they brought Sasuke along. It wasn't too far of a stretch to think that they forgot they had brought him along and would simply leave without thinking about him.

His parents probably wouldn't mind if they lost him, they had Itachi after all, Sasuke thought gloomily. Itachi was always the favorite with whoever he met. Though Sasuke greatly admired his older brother, he couldn't help but also feel slightly resentful as well as jealous of the attention and praise he received.

As the minutes went by, Sasuke became increasingly scared that his parents really would leave him. Sasuke was running so fast now that he kept skidding over the wooden floors whenever he tried to make a turn.

"I have to find them before it's too late!" he declared out loud to himself, his desperate tone echoing down the empty halls.

As he kept running, recognition hit him when he saw the familiar end table supporting a vase of white flowers. Thinking he was close by he ran towards it with joyful relief, but as he neared it, dread filled him instead when he realized that they weren't the same as the ones he had seen near the meeting room. The petals on these flowers were rounder and fatter.

Suddenly, something whooshed past the top of his head. A small brown bird with white speckled wings was flying through the hallways! Sasuke knew that he shouldn't be distracted by it, but he was amazed anyway and found himself chasing after the flapping bird. Turning corridor after corridor, he kept up with the small bird until it flew out of the house through wide opened doors. He stopped when he noticed that a young girl was sitting at the edge of the door with her back turned to him. She was holding a large book in her lap, reading.

He was startled to find another person after going so long without having seen anybody. Even more surprising was that he had found a girl who seemed close to his age, maybe younger since she was so small. The idea of her being a ghost was not altogether absent from his imagination. But since he needed any help he could get, he decided he would say something.

"Ehm…" Sasuke uttered. She didn't hear him, so he let out a loud cough which managed to catch her attention. Her fingers stopped mid-way on turning a page and she let the page dropped as she turned around to see who was there.

"Hello!" she said, surprised to see him. She closed her book, slipping it to the side, and gave him a sweet smile, "Who are you?"

For a second Sasuke was at a loss for words. This was the first time he had ever seen someone with such large eyes before. They reminded him of the large soap bubbles from his bath. She looked more like a doll sitting in the pastel lavender yukata than a real girl.

"I'm Sa-Sasuke," he said, approaching her cautiously. "I-I saw a bird and I followed it."

"I'm Hinata!" she said with a cheery grin, standing up now. "And I saw a Sasuke!" Sasuke's face reddened, embarrassed. She, on the other hand, looked quite happy with herself.

"Hi…"

"Is something the matter?" she asked, worried. Her smile disappearing.

"N-No," Sasuke replied quickly, not wanting her to think that he disliked her or something, because he didn't. Then remembering that he was trying to find his family, he changed his reply, "I mean yes, I mean… I'm lost."

"Lost?" she repeated thoughtfully. Then she smiled, "no wonder Haru-san found you. Though usually she would pick the lost things off the ground and use it to build her nest." Sasuke didn't like the idea of being made into a nest. "Luckily Haru-san is very good at finding lost things," she informed him.

"Haru-san is your pet bird?" he asked curiously.

"Nope! Haru is Haru, you can't keep spring as a pet," she told him with pleasant smile. (A/N: Haru is the season spring in Japanese.)

"Oh," he said, feeling a bit stupid for some reason. "I k-knew that," he found himself saying. She just smiled again, making him lightly blush like when someone complimented him, but she could do it with just a smile and without the actual compliment.

"Don't be sad. Since I found you, you're not lost anymore see? I can help you! Who are you looking for?"

"My parents and my older brother," he mumbled as she shuffled towards him.

"Could it be…" she said looking at him closely with her large eyes, "that Itachi-san is your brother?"

"How did you know that?" he asked.

"I know Itachi-san!" she said with a beaming grin. "So you're the little brother he talks about!"

"Really?" he asked, not at all happy to hear it. Sasuke knew that she probably liked Itachi better too.

"I know where they are," she said, taking his hand. "Come on, I'll show you." Sasuke stared, completely red-faced at her hand holding his. He had never let another girl other than his mother hold his hand before. At school, girls were always trying to hold Sasuke's hand, but he had never let them because he had thought all girls were awful. Their hands especially, he didn't like. They were sticky and grabby, pulling him this way and that. He didn't like girls, well at least, most of them.

Hinata's hand was cool and dry so he let her take his hand and lead him back into the maze of identical hallways until she finally stopped in front of one of the doors. Sasuke could hear the sound of his father's voice through the wall which made him breathe out in relief. Hinata let go of his hand and Sasuke turned to look at her, a bit disappointed. She knocked on the door a few times before sliding it open.

"Hinata, didn't I tell you not to disturb me when I'm with guests?" one of the Hyuuga men told her sternly.

"I'm sorry father," she said, bowing respectfully. "But I came to bring back a lost boy," she said sliding the door open a little more so that Sasuke could be seen. He flushed again, embarrassed by their surprised faces.

"Sasuke, where have you been?" his mother asked, clearly worried. "You were gone for almost an hour!"

"S-Sorry, I got lost," he muttered, more than scared of the dark look on his father's face.

"Go on," he heard Hinata whisper encouragingly behind him. She gave him a gentle push into the room. She smiled and gave him a small wave before shutting the door again. For a moment Sasuke could only look on at the closed door, not wanting the girl to leave him so soon, thinking that he would rather still be lost for just a little while longer.

"Come sit right here," his mother said, patting to the spot next to her. He went obediently, trying to ignore his father's angry face.

They spent for what seemed like an eternity afterwards continuing with their talk as Sasuke nearly dozed off to sleep, his head bobbing up and down as he fought his tired eyes, about to tip over. Occasionally Itachi would nudge him awake and Sasuke would just glare at him, annoyed that Itachi never told him that he knew someone like Hinata. He also couldn't understand how Itachi could sit through these dull meetings time after time without getting bored.

After the long talk was over, his parents said goodbye to Hinata's father as he walked them to the gate. Sasuke, wanting to see the girl again tugged urgently on Itachi's shirt. He looked back down at him with an expression that told him that he understood.

"It seems Sasuke wants to say goodbye to Hinata," Itachi announced. Everyone looked down at Sasuke, surprised.

"She's at her lessons right now," her father replied.

"But it's the weekend!" Sasuke blurted out without thinking.

"Hey, watch your mouth," his father scolded him. "Forgive him, he's just a kid." Sasuke pouted, his mouth forming an almost comedic upside down "U". He hated being called just a kid.

Later that night, they went back home, their house seeming a lot smaller than it used to be now that Sasuke had been to the Hyuuga house. However, Sasuke liked his own house better, at least at home he didn't get lost.

"How come you never told me about Hinata?" Sasuke asked his brother, shaking him a bit to get his attention. Itachi was reading a thick book with text so small, it would've given Sasuke a headache to look at it for more than a minute.

"I thought you didn't like girls," he said, smiling at his face that was scrunched up in annoyance.

"I-I don't!" Sasuke replied quickly, not wanting his brother to get the wrong idea. "I like Hinata though."

"Oh? Is that so…" he said thoughtfully with an amused smile.

"You better not like her," Sasuke warned him animatedly. Itachi just laughed, placing a hand on his head and messing up his hair.

"Don't worry about that. She's just a kid, like you," he told him. Sasuke once again winced at being called a "kid" but he was glad that Itachi didn't like her.

"Tell me more about her then," Sasuke childishly demanded, coming in between Itachi and his book, which he tried to start reading again.

"Well she likes to read," Itachi offered.

"Reading…" Sasuke said with a frown. If it was reading, there was no way he could compete with Itachi. "I don't like reading though. Books are boring."

"Well, if you want Hinata to like you, you need to do some more reading. She loves talking about books," he said.

"Ehhhh…" Sasuke whined. "Then tell me what she's reading. If it's a book she's reading, I'll read it," Sasuke told him. Even though he didn't like the idea of having to read, he wanted Hinata to like him.

"I guess I can do that," Itachi said with an amused smile.

"What are you reading right now?" Sasuke asked, glancing at the tiny black print.

"Nothing you'd be interested in," Itachi told him, closing the cover. Itachi rose from his seat and walked over to the large bookcase he kept by his bed. He slipped out a particularly large leather bound book and handed it to him. Sasuke nearly dropped it due to its sheer weight.

"What is this?" Sasuke asked while struggling to keep the book in his arms.

"A book of fairy tales. It's a good place to start, they're Hinata's favorite," he told him, returning to his desk again.

"But fairy tales are for kids!" Sasuke said, trying to find a more comfortable position to hold the large book in.

"Hinata's favorite," he reminded him, without even turning around as he went back to his own book.

Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh, immediately losing the argument. He carried the book to his own room and plopped it on his bed. He supposed that if Hinata liked them, he could at least try it. He did want her to like him.

* * *

Sasuke groaned, the side of his neck was aching painfully. _What happened_, Sasuke thought as he instinctively rubbed the sore spot. He remembered lunging at Itachi, but then suddenly he felt as if he had been struck with a club. Confusion came over him when he realized that he was lying on his own bed. For a moment, he thought that everything that had happened was just a dream, but the throbbing on his neck quickly vanquished any doubts. If he wondered how he got to his bed, it was but a thin strand of thought in his mind. All he wanted to do now was sleep, but as usual, like with many other nights he laid in the insomniac's hell, his mind refused him even if his body begged for it.

Then, he noticed that there was another presence in the room –no, the presence was very close to him, most likely right next to him. He immediately knew that it was Hinata. She gave off a very pleasant aura and smell, mainly a very minty clean one. What morning dew would smell like if it had a scent or maybe like the air when it would soon receive the first few snowflakes of winter. These images appeared casually into his mind in the odd few seconds of his half-daydreaming state.

He made a gesture of waking up, slowly opening his eyes to the slanted rays of the darkening sun cutting the room in half. Even though he had known Hinata had been sitting next to him, the sight of her so close to him was startling making him jolt upright. He was again, painfully reminded of the other times when she had appeared a little _too_ close to him in his half-asleep state.

"You're awake," she said with a weak and tired smile. "Here drink this," she handed him a plastic bottle of green tea.

He paused before taking it, examining the bottle suspiciously, but seeing no reason not to, he eventually did with a foreign feeling of gratitude. Only once the bottle was to his lips did he realize just how thirsty he was and his throat greedily gulped down the slightly bitter tea.

"Thanks," he muttered after drinking.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked, worry evident in her tone. It was revolting, that tone she used. It made his skin crawl and left him feeling restlessly awkward with what to say or how to react. It took all his willpower to keep himself from looking disgusted. She would've gotten the wrong idea if he did and that would've caused any number of problems. That caring sympathy that she had for him was an emotion he didn't know how to respond to. The revulsion that came with it was the natural response he had to combat the unacceptable weakness he felt towards her small shred of sincerity. Recently, he had reached a disturbing conclusion about himself, all the concrete facts had pointed towards it and he couldn't really argue against the evidence. On some level, a very deep and buried level, something akin an old shoebox containing childhood memories stashed away in a dusty attic between outdated clothing and old furniture, he still wanted Hinata to like him… or at the very, very least, think well of him even if the rest of the world wanted him torn to shreds by rabid wolves and pecked to the bone by ravenous vultures.

After a long period of silence, which he didn't realize had occurred, but which had slightly traumatized her, she uttered: "U-Uchiha-san…?

"Oh. I'm fine," he replied, taking another sip of the green tea. He shifted in his bed, feeling uncomfortable still with her closeness.

"That's good," she said in a weary but relieved tone.

He was glad that she didn't start blurting out questions about what had happened earlier. Although the pain on his neck was beginning to subside, the wound to his ego was still fresh and stinging bitterly. The last topic on Earth he wanted to talk about was Itachi, and the last person he wanted to discuss him with was with her.

It was strange to him that she didn't recall Itachi at all given their past, but Sasuke was also secretly glad of it. That way, when she finds out that Itachi had wiped out three quarters of his clan in a single night, it wouldn't be such a hard blow. However, Sasuke was also relieved for another reason, but he pushed the thought away with practiced precision.

"I'm going to the gym," he announced after he had finished drinking the bottle. He was a bit unnerved by her silence, but it seemed less like she was waiting for him to speak as much as it was that she was lost in the corridors of her own mind.

"Oh, I'll come with you," she replied suddenly. "I promised Tenten I would meet her today," she explained when she saw that he didn't look pleased by that suggestion.

"You're still hanging out with that girl?" Sasuke asked. He dragged his legs out of bed, his knee accidentally brushing against hers on his way out. Sasuke frowned, that awkward feeling came again like caterpillars crawling across his skin. Her lack of reaction, or even notice of the contact, added a pinch of salt to his wounded ego.

"We're friends now," she stated with a smile which brought a little life back to her face. He hadn't realized how exhausted she looked until he had her smile to compare it with.

"That's nice," Sasuke said, his voice sounding more sarcastic than he had meant it, but it didn't faze her.

After Sasuke changed, the two walked over to the gym. He felt much better now that he had a chance to stretch his legs. Judging from the brightness of the sky, he hadn't been out for all that long, at most an hour. He glanced over at Hinata a few times to check his walking pace since she walked at a ridiculously leisured one. She was constantly distracted by everything around her, making a point of observing every inch of nature she passed. Of course, Sasuke noted ironically, she completely ignored actual people. Sometimes he wondered if she even noticed he was there.

As they continued walking, he noticed that something of interest had caught her eye. She couldn't seem to peel her eyes away from it and Sasuke followed her gaze curiously, only to find that she was staring very intently at the top of the old bell tower.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, not seeing anything worthy of interest at all.

"There's a pinwheel up there," she said, pointing to the top of the bell tower.

"A pinwheel?" Sasuke repeated as he squinted towards the top of the tall building. "I don't see it."

"It's pretty small, so I guess it's a bit hard to see," she told him. He stared at her, amazed, wondering how good her sight really was. The Hyuuga didn't prize their eyes simply just for its looks.

"But no one goes up there." The bell tower had been abandoned for as long as he could remember. He had tried, on several occasions, to get up there when he was younger, but he had never successfully found a way past the first two levels.

"That's right isn't it…" she said, still staring at it, eventually she averted her eyes away as they approached the gym.

Tenten, the girl that seemed to have latched onto Hinata since the first day of school stood by the entrance, waving her hand back and forth energetically.

"Hikaruuuuu!" she called. With a small smile, Hinata partially lifted her hand and gave her a small wave back.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later," Sasuke remarked.

"Yeah, later," she replied with a slight nod, smiling at him too. Sasuke thought he could see a slight shadow of worry behind it.

Sasuke left the two behind and went into the gym, where he climbed the flight of stairs immediately to his left. Taking two steps at a time, he reached the men's floor of the gym. The men's training room took up most of the floor but there was also a smaller section for private training rooms, lockers, bathrooms and showers. The main training room contained pretty much everything anyone could ever need in terms of exercise. There were sandbags, weights, an assortment of workout machines and a large portion of the room was bare, dedicated to those who wanted to practice their martial arts in front of the mirrors.

Usually the room was loud and bursting with activity. However today, the room was abnormally empty, and Sasuke could immediately sense the cause. Standing in front of one of the full wall mirrors was Sabaku no Gaara, his red hair immediately drawing his attention as he gazed with exceptional focus at his own reflection.

"You should come here every day. It sure clears up the room," Sasuke commented as he came in. He never liked the noise of the men's training room. The chaotic noise of sweaty teenage males with their excessive grunts, snarls and arrogant displays of masculinity (complete with gorilla-esque chest pounding) was the reason why he tended to do his training outside. But, he had to admit there were advantages to the well-equipped room.

Sasuke could see the eyes of Gaara's mirrored image shift to look towards him, eyes that could immediately destroy anyone with a weak spirit. For a normal person, catching Gaara's eyes was like being spotted by a dangerously large and poisonous man-eating snake: one was never quite sure what to do except to run. But, Sasuke was used to Gaara, the two had come to an understanding due to their mutual insomnia and shadowy dark past. As long as they stayed out of each other's way, there was no conflict.

Gaara stared at him for a few seconds, before returning his attention back to his own reflection, examining the character for "love" on his forehead, an ironic symbol. Oftentimes the mark was camouflaged by the similar shade of red that was his hair, but at the moment Sasuke could see it clearly. The character looked haphazardly etched onto his forehead, the work seemingly not done by a master calligrapher posing as a tattoo artist, but by a deranged butcher feeling creative with a steak knife.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Sasuke asked. Gaara wasn't the type to respond unless faced with a direct question. Although he had become accustomed to the overbearing atmosphere that Gaara carried with him, he was still uneasy with being in the same room with him alone. There was just something unnatural about him that made Sasuke's nerves go on edge. His presence was like a cold and prickly fog that pricked and slithered.

"Looking at my reflection," Gaara stated bluntly, without sparing him a second glance. There was no one who could better remind Sasuke of the inadequacy of the human language like Gaara could. If one wanted a specific answer, one had to ask a very specific question.

"Why in this room?" Sasuke said with a slight scowl as he began his stretching ritual.

"There's a mirror here."

Again, another unsatisfactory answer. Sasuke was peeved and decided not to pursue the line of questioning any further; it was more trouble than it was worth. In every case, it was better to leave the guy alone. It was a rare occurrence to see Gaara at the gym. In fact, Sasuke had never seen Gaara exert himself in any way shape or form, yet he remained impossibly strong. Gaara hardly ever participated in the duels that took place at school, but occasionally he would accept a challenge if he was in the mood (challenge meaning that he would completely destroy some idiotic guy who was brave enough to try cornering him in a remote area at school). Unfortunately for the challengers, that mood tended to be one of destructive malevolence. Sasuke had seen him crush his opponents with absurd ease.

A few minutes later, it seemed that Gaara was decidedly done with the mirror and turned to walk away. But before stepping out the door, he turned his head to the side, partially facing Sasuke. He looked like he wanted to say something, and Sasuke stopped what he was doing, waiting for it. However, it seemed that at the last second Gaara changed his mind and without a word, slipped out of the room.

_Creepy guy_, Sasuke thought with a grimace. Well, at least he now had the entire floor to himself. If there was one thing Gaara was good at, it was warding others away.

* * *

**A/N:** The flashback scenes are hard to write, especially if I want to take on Sasuke's self-centered child POV (and I made him a really bratty kid too haha). I actually read a children's book just to figure out how to write that section... Unfortunately for me, there's going to be several more of them until we finally get to the bottom of what happened. But at least, I hope that Itachi's personality is a little clearer now. I've only glanced at a few Itachi fics (Itahina of course :D) and I'm not really sure how other writers portray him (the few I've seen have him very similar to Sasuke, just slightly more debonair and sexy I guess lol).

As for another contender for future Hinata's affection, a growing amount of reviewers are demanding more text time from the strange creature known as Gaara. Unfortunately we're going to have to sort through a lot of ItaSasuHina background before we get into what Gaara's going to be all about, but rest assured Gaahina fans, it will be well worth the wait. He does have his own role to play and a legitimate background story. At the moment, Gaara is essentially just a focal point to show the difference in perspectives between the other characters, as well as to show that Hinata is a bit of an outlier compared to all the other POVs represented thus far.

To my reviewers, much thanks. Whenever I get writer's block, I just look at the reviews to be instantly motivated again. I'm starting to recognize a few names too. :D


	16. Black Pinwheel

**A Man's World**

* * *

**Chapter 16 Black Pinwheel**

"Before you even begin to think about fighting, you have to improve your endurance and overall stamina," Tenten said, instructing her on the merits of jogging. "Fighting takes a huge toll on a person so you have to spend a lot of time preparing before you even think of getting into a ring of some sort."

"I-I see," Hinata said, mentally taking a note of everything, though Hinata wasn't actually expecting to ever go around picking or accepting fights from anyone. Her goal was simply to strengthen her will and self-confidence.

"It is best to do it first thing in the morning after you wake up. It's good to always have a regular time when jogging, that way your body will eventually orient itself around exercising in the morning. It's like your muscles know what to expect so they are more prepared to get the most out of it. Don't push yourself too hard though the first few days until you're used to it," Tenten warned her and then proceeded to show her some stretching exercises she could do before and after the run.

Hinata couldn't find the motivation to get excited even if she tried, and she did try. Her conversation with Itachi had left her completely drained in spirit. As she listened, Hinata felt an odd sensation of feeling lost in one's own body, to be slightly removed from the center of her being. There was the Hinata that looked as if she was eagerly trying to pay attention to Tenten's lecture and then there was the Hinata that stood directly outside of the conversation, partially observing it but paying more attention to her own interior monologue.

What was she supposed to do after she had found out that chunks of her memory were missing? She hadn't a clue as to how to fill in those blanks or if she even really wanted to. In the back of her mind, there was a feeling, a distant echo of a voice which told her that she didn't lose the memories as much as she had thrown them out.

"Are you paying attention?" Tenten asked, frowning, her hands on her hips. "I'm taking out my very precious time to show you this."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hinata replied.

"Is something wrong?" Tenten asked, looking at her with worried eyes. "Usually you're more enthusiastic."

"N-no," Hinata lied. She didn't want to lie, but she wasn't quite ready to tell Tenten about what had happened, not that she could even begin to even explain it in a way that would be comprehensible.

"Did… you get rejected on Valentine's Day?" Tenten asked with a suspicious yet sympathetic look.

"…Excuse me?" Hinata asked, taken aback. To Hinata, Valentine's Day felt like years ago, even though it had technically only been two days.

"Well maybe not then. You did come over here with Sasuke, so that can't be what's bothering you," Tenten said thoughtfully.

"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked.

"Maybe… you don't actually like him," Tenten conjectured.

"I already told you before that I didn't," Hinata hastily replied.

"Did you?" Tenten said, looking sincerely surprised.

"I did!"

"So… Neji was right," Tenten said, shaking her head with disappointment. "I guess it can't be help. A girl's heart is a mysterious thing."

"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked with a frown. So Tenten and Neji really had been discussing her so called "love-life" with each other.

"I guess… you actually like Gaara then?" Tenten said. Hinata stared at her as if she had just grown an extra arm.

"…Huh?" which was the only sound Hinata could utter.

"That's what Neji said," Tenten shrugged nonchalantly. "But judging by your expression, I can only assume that it's–"

"Not true!" Hinata finished for her. Hinata wasn't sure how she felt about Neji thinking that she liked Gaara. She couldn't even conceive the concept of being in love with Gaara. Loving him was like trying to pluck a start out of the sky. It was a wild and romantic notion that made no sense in reality.

She wondered how Neji came up with such an idea. Was it from that time she had asked about him? But… it seemed that only yesterday he was just warning her against Sasuke. Honestly, Hinata couldn't see her austere cousin talking about her potential boyfriends. Then again, Hinata thought grimly, anything for the clan right? And was it really so impossible to believe that she wasn't romantically interested in anyone?

And then she thought of Sasuke. That strange feeling from earlier when she had fathomed the possibility of liking him was no longer there. Instead, it had easily been replaced by a hint, a slight inclination of that pink colored affection for… Itachi? Hinata felt as if someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water on her back, she was horrified by her subversive heart. Itachi, the murderer and the guy that Sasuke hated enough to possibly become a murderer himself? Seriously? Was she out of her mind?

"Are you sure…?" Tenten asked, picking up some of the strong emotion coming from Hinata, but not enough to understand the cause behind it.

"I'm sure," Hinata replied, snapping back to attention. "How was your Valentine's Day?" Hinata desperately wanted to change the subject. For now, she would just choke the life out of her newly discovered emotion until it snuffed out.

"Ah…" a sudden gloom came over her. "Neji sure is popular…" Hinata remembered the giant pile of gifts on his desk and suddenly felt guilty for bringing it up.

"I guess so," Hinata said.

"How about you? Did you get any Valentine gifts from girls?" Tenten asked, changing the subject back to her again.

"Why would I?" Hinata asked.

"Well you are a _boy_. If even some girls get gifts for the holiday, I'm sure you would too."

"Girls can get Valentine's Day gifts? Isn't that just for White Day?" (A/N: White Day is when guys give gifts back to girls)

"Only if you're as cool as Temari. She probably got more gifts for Valentine's Day than most of the guys at this school."

"Who's that?"

"Oddly enough, she's Gaara's older sister," Tenten told her. For some reason, Hinata found it difficult to wrap her head around the fact that Gaara would have an older sister. He gave off the impression of being a perpetual loner.

"What's she like?" Hinata asked. She also wondered what the dynamic was in their relationship as siblings.

"Well, she's pretty cool and I don't throw that word around too often. But if you see her, you'd never think they were related."

Hinata wanted to meet her, Gaara's older sister. It must be difficult to have such an eccentric younger brother. Her thoughts naturally began to linger on how her own younger sibling was faring and hoped that she would be fine by herself, although really, it was Hinata who was beginning to feel a bit lonely without Hanabi. Unlike Hanabi, Hinata wasn't quite so confident standing alone.

Tenten continued her efforts in trying to lecture Hinata, but without much success so they parted early, with Tenten reminding her once again to take her training slowly as to not overly exhaust herself. When Hinata had left the secluded area behind the gym, the sky had already slipped into a dark blue sapphire evening gown that glittered with the twinkling stars. The softly and slightly crested moon hung like a lopsided smile over Hinata as she made her way back to the dormitory.

After leaving Tenten, her solemn mood started to return. Even the breaths of cool night air couldn't alleviate the heaviness of her heart. Hinata was mentally and spiritually battered by the series of events that pushed and pulled her with invisible hands. However, the stone had been set rolling and there was no choice but to follow it through to the end. And Hinata could only hope that she wouldn't be crushed in the process.

As expected, when Hinata returned to her room, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. She was a bit relieved that he wasn't there. Sasuke thought that his own brother betrayed his family and destroyed his clan. What kind of words of comfort could someone with an upbringing as privileged as her own be able to offer, especially when she didn't exactly believe it to be true?

Remembering the family photograph, she slid out the hidden trunk she had in her closet and opened it. She sifted through Neji's old letters for the photograph. Holding it gently in her hands with only the moonlight from the windows for illumination, she thoroughly inspected it. Gazing upon Itachi's face, she wondered how she could've ever looked upon it before and not have recognized him. She ran her thumb across the creases on the photograph, tracing it as carefully as one would a cracked mirror. Gazing upon the once happy family that now ceased to exist; she silently promised the smiling faces that she would get to the bottom of what happened. Maybe, just maybe, there was something she could do to help.

The next day Hinata woke up refreshed but hardly recovered. The day went by with astonishing normalcy and not surprisingly so since Sasuke didn't make an appearance. During first period, Ino had showed her some of the rough costume sketches for their coming play while as usual, Naruto and Sakura battled over how their lines should be interpreted. Shikamaru remained despondent, gazing lazily at the fluff of passing clouds that scooted across the otherwise clear blue sky. During second period, they studied the etymology of modern slang in language class. Third period consisted of a lengthy discussion of a classical novel they had all been reading since the beginning of school. Naruto had fallen asleep behind his propped up notebook only to be caught, leading to heavy snickering from his fellow classmates. Fourth period promised Gai's enthusiasm as he gallantly demonstrated with an impromptu skit on the downfall of their country's most famous samurai. For fifth period, Anko spent the whole day instructing everyone on how to tie a sturdy knot, which was infinitely more complicated than one would ever expect. Hinata had never known there were so many different ways one could tie a knot. For the next lesson, Anko promised that they would learn how to untie the knots they made. For their sixth period, everyone waited for eagerly for Itachi to appear, but he didn't.

"Because of what happened yesterday, Uchiha-sensei will not be here today," Orochimaru said, sparing an amused glance at Hinata that greatly unsettled her. "He as well as his younger brother are having a meeting right now with the principal on the details of what took place and are hoping to find a solution to their slight _disagreement_."

The class was evidently disappointed but not surprised. Even if it was in self-defense, teachers aren't supposed to lay a hand on a student (although technically it was only two fingers…)

As Hinata watched Orochimaru explain the parts of an atom, she began to brainstorm about what she should do. She wondered if she should talk to Neji about what she had found, or perhaps go and visit Itachi with more questions. Then again, Hinata thought, if Itachi wasn't going to be entirely truthful on the matter, she had to find a more objective source. Suddenly a thought occurred to her as she gently tapped the end of her pencil against her chin. A large scale murder, especially from a famous clan, was bound to be archived somewhere right? Perhaps there were official reports of the incident. Figuring she should be able to find what she wanted in the library, she decided that she would spend the rest of the day playing detective.

After class, Hinata quickly stuffed her school materials into her bag and immediately started towards the exit. The bell had barely just finished ringing when she was already half-way out the door. Unfortunately, she didn't realize that someone was standing outside and she almost collided into a very familiar face.

"U-Uchiha-san!" she cried as she almost ran directly into him. Her arms waved clumsily around her as she tried to keep from falling onto him. After she found her balance she looked sheepishly back at him. He didn't look quite as surprised as she did. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Watch where you're going," he told her, though not in that usual acidic tone that he was so often overused. He looked exceptionally tired, more tired than she had ever seen him before, probably because he had to sit in a room with Itachi all day long while being forced to play nice.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked.

"Fine," he grumbled. "I just need to talk to the teacher."

Before Hinata even had the chance to reply, a chorus of girls who started yelling out Sasuke's name came flocking towards him. Sasuke just pushed past them into the room and once he came close enough to Orochimaru, the girls remained at a wary distance, not wanting to get too close to their peculiar science teacher. Hinata didn't want to wait for Sasuke since she was after all, going to be snooping around on information about him. Thinking it best to just take leave, she gave him one last glance before taking off.

As she left the building, students were everywhere, walking around together and chatting animatedly. Hinata watched them wistfully, hoping that one day she would be able to lead such a carefree existence at school. Passing a group of loudly giggling girls, she made her way to the library. Unlike the lively atmosphere that was outside, the library still remained as deserted as the first day she had walked in. Aside from a casual handful of students browsing the shelves, people had either yet to arrive or the library was surprisingly, at least to Hinata, unpopular.

Hinata spotted the old man at the front desk and walked over to him. In her loudest in-door voice possible, she asked him for the periodicals. After repeating the word a few times, he told her that they were located downstairs. Thanking him, she went to look for the stairs in the back of the library. Finding them, she headed down, her footsteps making loud creaking sounds every time her foot connected onto the old wood.

The bottom floor had an abandoned, dusty smell to it as she began browsing the shelves for what she was looking for. But a few seconds in, Hinata couldn't help but let out a loud frustrated sigh when she realized she had no clue where to start looking. The end of the memories she had recalled with Itachi was from when she was eight, but she had no way of using that to gauge the year of the event. It could've happened years later for all she knew.

Feeling incredibly stupid, she walked back to the stairs knowing that it would take her hours of looking through every single collection before being able to find it. Coming back up the stairs dejectedly, she saw that the library was now more deserted than ever. Not wanting to go back completely empty-handed, Hinata figured she may as well pick up some more reading material. The only book she had left to finish reading was her bonsai tree manual since she wanted to take extensive notes before returning it.

Hinata began browsing the shelves nonchalantly and stopping at whatever caught her eye. She had the odd habit of running her hand down the aisle as she passed it, taking pleasure in feeling the books as she looked at them. Hinata almost laughed at herself, thinking that she may be what people would call a "nerd" or a "bookworm".

As her eyes scanned across the shelves a familiar image caught her eye. She paused, reaching out for the spine of a book that contained on it, a picture of a black pinwheel that was identical to the one she saw atop of the bell tower. When she read the title _The Uchiha Incident_ accompanying it, she was struck by her own dumb luck. She examined the cover which had the picture of the black pinwheel on it in apparent motion as it sat by itself on top of a traditional styled house. If the black pinwheel was connected to the other one, then that meant that… perhaps it was Itachi that had placed it on top of the bell tower. Hinata was curious as to what it stood for.

The book seemed fairly new, the pages still clean and white as if it had yet to be read. Opening it, she found out that it was an anthology of journalism reporting on the very event she was searching for. She glanced around to make sure no one was around before slipping the book protectively under her arm as if she were hiding some illegal object. It was much too dangerous to check out. Hinata would prefer if no one saw her reading a book about her roommate, no matter what angle you could look at it from, it was incredibly suspicious.

Looking for a remote area in the library to quietly read without drawing attention to herself, she headed towards the isle where taxidermy and pet care were distastefully placed side by side. Hinata's heart was racing in her chest and her palms were sweating as she started to read it, skipping the first few pages to the table of contents.

Hinata couldn't decide which chapter she wanted to read first, she definitely didn't have the time to start from the beginning, figuring she should just try to get as many of her immediate questions answered before anyone could catch her looking at the book. There were plenty of chapters analyzing what happened, how it happened and the particulars of the case, but what caught her eye was a chapter near the end of the book labeled "The Hyuuga". Wanting to look at it, but ignoring the section for now, Hinata began reading the chapters that had to do with the so-called "incident".

"In an event of devastatingly tragic proportions, around seventy percent of the Uchiha clan perished in a single night, wiped out of existence by an all-consuming fire leaving its survivors still, to this day, bitterly singed by the fact that the case remains unsolved. No one can say with absolute certainty who had started the fire, but most people believed it was used as a cover up for a gruesome murder: there were five bodies that were afflicted with stab wounds before the insatiable fire scorched the cadavers black. There are several suspects as to who the culprit is, but there has yet to be any evidence supporting any of these claims."

Hinata gaped at the text for awhile as she tried to wrap her head around the information she had just read. A mass murder arson case… A heavy mix of emotions came to Hinata. She was angry that the crime was committed, sympathetic towards Sasuke and the other victims and upset at her growing belief that Itachi was the one who did it. However, it was strange because no matter how much she read there was nothing linking the case to Itachi except that his parents were victims of the stabbing that took place before the fire.

Then again, if Itachi was the actual culprit he wouldn't so casually be walking around the school as a teacher's assistant. Sasuke thought Itachi did it and Itachi had confessed it to be true, so why wasn't he in prison then? If Sasuke had told the authorities that his brother was behind everything, there certainly would've been an in depth investigation on the claim, but in the book, there was nothing. It didn't make any sense.

Hinata flipped to the last chapter that was on the Hyuuga. The first few pages were an introduction to the clan as well as to the relationship the Uchiha had with them. She was startled to read that the Hyuuga were believed to know who the murderer was, but was choosing to remain silent in order to protect them. The only hint of Itachi being a suspect was in that chapter. There was a claim that it may have had something to do with the fact that only a day before the incident, the engagement between Itachi and the Hyuuga heiress was called off for unknown reasons. The consensus seemed to be that the Hyuuga knew something but was unwilling to share their information.

Frowning, Hinata closed the book. It was a bit unnerving how everything kept coming back in full circle, back to the secretive lives of the Hyuuga behind those massive white walls. It couldn't have been a coincidence that it all happened in the same year she had lost her memory. She quickly slipped the book back in the spot where she had found it before anyone could catch her with it.

Heading back to the dormitory, Hinata figured she may as well try her luck by repeating what she found out to Neji. If it had to do with the Hyuuga clan, she was certain that he would be interested. She would talk about the engagement and the relationship between the Hyuuga and Uchiha, but she didn't want to tell him about the holes in her memory just yet. Back in the dormitory building, she walked past her own room to Neji's, lightly knocking on the door. It slid open to reveal Rock Lee in his usual green training outfit.

"Oh good afternoon Hikaru-san. How can I help you?" he said with a bright white smile. His eyebrows also greeted her by slightly twitching on his brow line. She almost laughed, but managed to control herself.

"Good afternoon, is my brother in?"

"He is," he said with a nod. "NEJIIII!" he turned calling for him.

A few moments later, Neji's scowling face appeared at the door, his long black hair was slightly disheveled which was very unusual for him.

"What?" he snapped irritably.

"Were you… sleeping?" Hinata asked, surprised.

"Napping like a baby," Lee said with a wink.

"Don't make such disgusting and unnecessary comments," Neji grumbled.

"Well, I'll leave you two siblings to your brotherly bonding. I'll go out for a nice walk!" Lee announced bombastically. "I'll see you two later," he said giving them both a wave before heading away.

"Bye!" Hinata called out with a grin. It must be quite fun living with Lee, Hinata thought. Having Sasuke as a roommate, although it was favorable under her special circumstance, was a bit lonely.

When Lee was out of sight, Neji invited her in. The room was as she remembered it, even the pile of Valentine's gifts was still strewn out on Neji's desk.

"You still have these?" Hinata asked.

"That guy won't let me throw any of them away until I've read every letter and eaten every piece of chocolate. It seems that he wants to live vicariously through me when it concerns these ridiculous confessions. I don't understand it, but it's the only way to get any peace and quiet from his whining. Do you want some chocolate?" he asked, offering her a box.

"No thanks…" she replied shaking her head. "Uchiha-san didn't accept any of the gifts either. The ones that he had to receive because they were sitting outside his room were immediately thrown out. He didn't even bother opening them," Hinata said disapprovingly. With all the trouble she had went through to help Sakura with her chocolate, it was quite an insult to see it sitting at the bottom of a trash bin… well until Sasuke hauled the whole bag and threw it into the furnace.

"Well I don't blame him," Neji said, taking a seat at his desk while Hinata sat reluctantly on the edge of his bed's end. He leaned his elbow on his desk and rested the edge of his jaw on his knuckles looking at her with a weary expression. "So..?" he asked rather impatiently.

"Well, it's about the Uchiha and the Hyuuga…" she said hesitantly, hoping she wasn't giving off the impression that she was interested in Sasuke, which was probably the first thing that went through Neji's mind.

"Is this about Uchiha Sasuke or Itachi?" he asked, scowling even deeper.

"Uchiha Itachi." The answer appealed to him only a fraction more than if she had brought up Sasuke, which meant that he was still displeased with her selection but thought it a lesser of two evils. She still felt she should mention the misunderstanding Neji had about her interest in Gaara, but thought it better to bring it up some other time.

"About the engagement?"

"Sort of. Did you know about the Uchiha incident, the case with the arson and the murders?" she asked.

"Who doesn't know about it?" Neji said with a light shrug. It was now Hinata's turn to frown. Neji hadn't the courtesy to inform her before when she had asked about the clans' relationship. It was a rather monumentally important fact that one didn't just simply _forget_ to mention.

"_I_ didn't know," she said rather resentfully. "But what I care about right now is why it happened. I found out that the engagement was broken off right before everything had taken place. I mean was it a coincidence or was it a direct cause?"

"I don't know," Neji replied. "Maybe you should ask your father, I'm sure he can tell you anything you need to know about the Hyuuga and Uchiha," he stifled yawn.

"My father…" Hinata said, her hands automatically clenching in on her lap. If she asked her father, would he tell her the truth? It didn't seem likely…

"Why don't you write him?" Neji sighed.

"I guess I could do that," Hinata said anxiously. She was supposed to write back to her father regardless to tell them how she was faring at school, but due to the endless string of chaotic events, she had completely forgotten to. Now she understood why Neji hardly ever wrote to her in the past, there were simply too many things competing for one's attention.

"I'm sure he'll want to hear from you," Neji said, practically nodding off on the spot. His eyes were slightly unfocused as his eyelids kept threatening to close. If Hinata wasn't dreading the letter she had to write, she would've found Neji's sleepiness quite entertaining. It wasn't everyday that she saw Neji act so out of character.

"Okay, I'll let you know how it goes then," she said, not wanting to keep Neji from his nap any longer. He nodded slowly, watching her get up to leave.

"Night," he said.

"It's not even evening yet," Hinata pointed out.

"Right," Neji nodded again, probably not catching a word of what she had just said.

Hinata returned to her own room to see that Sasuke was lying quietly in his bed. At first she thought he was asleep and wondered if today was just a good day for napping, but she then saw that his eyes were open. When he heard her come in, he shifted his position slightly as if to alert her that he was there, even though it was quite unnecessary. Since Sasuke was usually never in the room, she was always abnormally aware of his presence when he was.

"You're back," she said, trying to sound chipper to combat the sullen atmosphere in the room. He didn't find it worthwhile to reply so he didn't. Hinata tried again, "How are you?"

"I've had better days," he mumbled, staring vacantly at the ceiling, sunset had given the room a reddish orange glow.

"What happened? I heard you had to go to a meeting," she said, taking out a piece of paper from her notebook as well as a pen. She wanted to compose her letter immediately while the contents were still fresh in her head.

"You heard right. It wasn't a big deal though, only a three day suspension. It's not like it makes much of a difference to me," he said. Hinata frowned, how could a suspension _not_ be a big deal?

"What about Uchiha-sensei?" she asked, wondering if he too had to take a punishment of some kind. Sasuke immediately sat up with a look of foul scorn distorting his face.

"Much better off than me," he scoffed. "By the way, if you're going to call that guy _Uchiha-sensei_, don't call me Uchiha-san. I'd rather you not associate my name with him," he said, glaring at her. It was impossible to not associate the two together, but Hinata decided to humor him anyway.

"Oh okay, um… Sasuke-san?" she suggested, unsure of what he meant. She was clearly addressing the two differently. One she called Uchiha-_sensei_ and the other Uchiha-_san_. Calling him _Sasuke_ didn't change the fact that his last name was still Uchiha nor did it change the fact that Itachi was his brother.

"That's horrible," he retorted.

"Sasuke-ku–"

"_Don't_ even go there. That's even worse, I get enough of that all day," he said, cutting her off.

"Um…" Hinata said, running out of suffixes now. It somehow seemed inappropriate to address him without one. As a general rule, Hinata felt it was always better to use suffixes except with her immediately family.

"Just Sasuke," he said firmly.

"Sasuke…" she repeated, wondering why she was blushing. "Sasuke, Sasuke… Sasuke," she said to herself, testing it out. His name sounded odd standing just by itself, almost like a chair without a fourth leg.

"Alright, geez, don't wear it out," Sasuke told her, though if Hinata didn't know better, she could've sworn that his tone was a happy one.

* * *

**A/N:** I apologize for taking so long with the updating. The chapters aren't particularly hard to write, but I easily go off track of what the original outline was supposed to be and end up all over the place... so as you can imagine, a lot of things get taken out and rewritten during editing. Yeah... I tend to make a lot of unnecessary work for myself. Well anyways, I hope to update at a speedier pace in the future.

I'm also looking for a good Sasuhina fic if anyone could recommend me one. I suppose I also don't mind any shameless pimping of anyone's own fic that they want me to read either.

* * *

**Review, Thanks!**


	17. Rhythm

**A Man's World**

* * *

**Chapter 17 Rhythm**

_"Itachi-san, what do kisses taste like?_" _an eight-year old Hinata asked him._

_"Snowflakes," he replied in jest._

_"Really?" her innocent eyes widened as she looked upon him with awe. Then, she quickly looked away, pink blush spreading across her cheeks. "A-Are you lying?" she asked with such childish embarrassment that it made him laugh._

_"I guess when you're older you'll just have to find out for yourself."_

Itachi sighed, left languid by the barrage of nostalgic memories that continued to flood him. He sat on the dusty wooden floor at the top of the bell tower, watching the sun's lazy rays reflect upon the ancient brass of the retired bell. Leaning against the wall, his back to the world, he held the black pinwheel between his fingers, watching the razor sharp tips spiral into a black blur from the blowing wind.

The pinwheel had reminded him of snowflakes and naturally, snowflakes reminded him of Hinata. She was a child of winter. It was snowing when he had first met her and so, even to this day, she reminded him of a quiet winter's morning. He had only been teasing, but for her, kisses would surely taste like snowflakes. The truth of the matter that kisses did not taste much like anything except warm saliva and swollen flesh or whatever the person had just put into their mouth, was not an appropriate answer for a child like Hinata.

For Sasuke, a child of summer, he would undeniably be drawn to Hinata. Born on a night filled with fireflies, Itachi could still remember the day his mother had brought home a bundle containing a sleeping baby. His younger brother was still very much a child, at least his heart was. He spoke of nonsense such as revenge and justice, proving that deep down, he was still the same little boy who thought that by catching fireflies in a jar, he could also capture summer. Both of them, Itachi felt, were filled to the brim with romantic nonsense. Sasuke, probably more so than Hinata.

But Itachi knew better. Justice and revenge went hand in hand, lovers tied by a bloody thread, claiming to own solutions to problems created out of other solutions to different problems. A never ending, forever spinning cycle dictated by the fanning of humanity's ugly yet beautiful emotions, like a pinwheel, only moving when caught by an invisible wind.

* * *

Hinata, standing in front of the bathroom mirror, ran both hands through her black hair until they met at the back of her head. Pulling off the hair tie she had around her thin wrist, she double looped it to secure her hair in place. A loose wave of hair, the remnants of the bangs she had left to grow out, were swept gently to the side and clipped behind an ear.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination or not, but she felt that she was looking more and more feminine as the days continued to pass. How long she would be able to keep up her charade, she could only wonder gloomily. Peeling herself from the bathroom mirror before she ended up sinking into a quicksand of her own depression, she went back to the bedroom.

Surprisingly, Sasuke was asleep in his bed and she tip toed carefully as to not wake him. She felt like it had been a long time since she had last seen his undisturbed sleeping face. Her stare lingered for a moment longer, swayed for a brief second by his physical attractiveness. Hinata frowned; was this what they called hormones?

Turning away, she quietly left the room. When she walked outside, she automatically wrapped her arms around herself as the freezing air rushed past her. Today Hinata would try jogging.

The sky was a somber dark blue, but she could see light beginning to peek past the horizon. Chirping birds greeted the morning with song as Hinata took off running. She followed a route that went around the back of the dormitory and the school campus that Tenten recommended since it was a straight forward road without too many inclines.

After a few minutes Hinata was beginning to feel the full effects of her chest wrappings, it greatly restricted the capacity of her lungs and forced her to slow down. She sighed unhappily, pulling at the wraps under her clothes to try to give herself more room to breathe but it was futile. Her chest was becoming increasingly harder to hide since first starting school.

It was ridiculous, she hadn't grown at all but her chest seemed to be an exception. She had even been eating less to cut down on body fat, but her body kept betraying her. Cutting down on fat was only making it worst, simply making her seem smaller and more fragile while pronouncing the natural curves of her body. Luckily the season was cool enough so that it wouldn't be too strange of her to sport layers and a loose jacket, but spring had its warm days and Hinata suffered from them.

Nearly collapsing at the next bend from lack of air, she slowed down until she was walking. If only she didn't have her chest wrappings, exercise wouldn't be strenuous. Noticing that she was close to the dome-like theater building, she decided she would go in to get a drink of water at one of the water fountains.

Heading down the path towards it, she stopped when she heard light vibrant music coming from one of the far windows. Curious as to who was producing the sound, she followed the side of the building, her shoes making crunching noises upon the gravel. The window was partially open and as she crept closer, the music got louder.

Hinata peeped through the window to see the back of a woman, probably only a few years older than herself, in a knee length dark purple trench coat and black boots. Her unkempt sandy blonde hair was tied up haphazardly and went every which way, rebelling against a single direction. Hinata saw that she was playing a violin, an instrument she had seen only in books. She was completely entranced by the lovely music drifting out from the window. The sound was vibrant and energetic and nothing quite like the music she had been allowed to listen to at home.

"Who's there?" the woman asked, turning around. Hinata immediately ducked, startled and afraid of being caught. "You know… if you want to listen you can just ask," she said, poking her head the window and looking down at Hinata's crouched figure.

"M-may I listen?" she asked with a sheepish smile, blushing lightly.

"Climb in," she said, pulling back into the room.

Hinata stood up and hoisted herself through the window, completely forgetting that she had wanted to get a drink of water and that she should be returning to her jogging instead.

The room was filled with music stands propped up on ascending steps. It was a wide and spacious room with golden brown wood flooring. Next to her she saw a black grand piano, another instrument she had read about but had never heard played. Sheets of music were strewn on top of it as well as an opened black case with an indentation in the black velvet in the shape of the violin.

"I could always use an audience," the woman said, placing her violin gently back into the case. "What's your name?" she demanded more than ask. There was an undeniable ring of authority in her voice.

"Hyuuga Hikaru," Hinata replied, gaping at her with awe. Even though the woman looked a bit rough around the edges, she still had an untamable sort of beauty about her. Her skin has that golden quality to it and the features of her face were strong and charismatic. Hinata particularly liked her eyes; they were a deep forest green that seemed to soften her roughness.

"I'm Temari," she told her, holding out her hand. Hinata shook it. Hand shaking wasn't common where she lived, but it was a norm in other countries.

"You're Gaara's sister?" Hinata asked in disbelief. There was no resemblance whatsoever, except maybe in eye color.

"_Why_?" Temari asked, narrowing her eyes. "Did he do something to you?"

"Eh? No," she said, surprised by her question.

"Sorry," she mumbled, her severe expression softening again. "Usually I'm the go-to person when someone has a complaint about my little brother. It seems he's always rubbing people the wrong way. Most people dislike him," she said with a sigh.

"I don't dislike him," she said. She was simply a bit scared of him, but Hinata had attributed it to her own cowardice and nothing personal. Aside from that, she found him quite interesting.

"Wait, are you serious?" Temari asked, incredulous. "You're better not be lying to make me feel better."

"I'm not lying…" Hinata promised, unable to comprehend why it was so hard to believe.

"Really!" Temari cried, suddenly clamping her hands on both of Hinata's arms. Hinata nodded meekly. "Well then, please be Gaara's wife! I'll leave him to you!"

Hinata's jaw dropped wide open, too shocked to care about manners. "W-W-What? I-I'm a guy!" she managed to get out.

"No way," Temari snorted, but released her anyway. Her eyes ran over her figure, inspecting her closely and clearly not believing it.

"I am," Hinata asserted, upset at how often this type of scenario cropped up. Temari remained silent for a few seconds as she tried digesting that fact, eventually she accepted it.

"Life sure is unfair," Temari said, looking her over again. "Well… I should apologize then. It's just that that kid is always worrying me and it's nice to see that there's one, well I thought, girl in the world who wasn't scared shitless by him," Temari said with a tired sigh. "Not that I blame them of course, but I am his sister after all."

"Is he really… that bad?" Hinata asked, still shaken by the sudden proposal.

"Actually the real shocker here is that you don't think he is. Seriously, even I get freaked out sometimes when I see him while not expecting it."

"He's not that scary… is he?" Hinata said, frowning.

"No, he is," Temari insisted. Hinata couldn't understand how an older sibling could be afraid of their younger one, but then again, Gaara seemed to be an exception. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Ah, thought so. You're the same age as him."

"Really? We're not in the same class though," Hinata noted. She had always wondered about Gaara attending class.

"Oh, well, he's in self-study if that even makes any sense at a boarding school. He tried going to class last year but after a few days, decided it wasn't for him. Since then, he basically studies on his own time. You can probably see him at the end of the year when taking the final exam though," Temari told her.

"Is that allowed?" Hinata asked. "I mean, the school doesn't mind?"

"Dear god no, you try saying no to that face," Temari said with a noted dose of sarcasm.

"Why is he even attending then…?" Hinata asked, puzzled.

"Who knows, our dad made us come here. And well, Gaara is pretty much exempt from many of life's traditional rules," Temari said with a shrug.

"I-I see," she said, not really seeing at all though, well except for the last part seemed to ring true.

"So, what were you doing before I caught you?" Temari asked.

"Oh!" Hinata had completely forgotten. "I was jogging, but I got tired."

"It's all in the rhythm," Temari told her with a sympathetic nod. "Once you find it, everything gets easier."

"Well I should get back to it," she said with a sheepish smile.

"Alright, good luck then. It was nice meeting you. By the way, we're having a concert for school's upcoming festival so be sure to come by and see me," Temari told her.

"I'd love to," Hinata said with a smile.

"By the way, go back out the window, just for laughs," Temari grinned.

* * *

Kiba groaned, tired of how often Akamaru needed to stop in order to "mark" his territory on the passing trees. Every morning, Kiba had to take Akamaru for his morning run in order burn off enough energy to keep him from completely trashing Kiba's room out of boredom and loneliness while he was at school. His sister wasn't kidding when she told him that pets took a lot of loving care and close attention. Even so, Kiba still adored Akamaru like family.

"Just pick a spot already!" Kiba said as he watched Akamaru sniff around the tree a few times before moving onto a different one.

The two had ended up on one of the hills behind the school that presented a pretty decent view of the whole campus. The sun had just risen, giving off a nasty glare. When the two turned the corner, Akamaru immediately broke off into a run when he spotted a familiar scent. Kiba followed him wearily and was led, much to his surprise, to Hikaru.

She was sitting on the grass alone, leaning against an old Japanese maple tree. A light pink hue colored her cheeks and her lips curved up slightly into a content smile as she gazed down at the view below. Before Kiba could greet her, Akamaru did the deed for him by pouncing onto her with an enthusiasm only found in dogs.

"Akamaru," she said, startled by the yipping white dog. Her milky eyes naturally looked for Kiba and she smiled brightly upon seeing him.

"Hey, what a coincidence seeing you here," he said, returning it with his own smile.

"I was going for a morning run, but I ended up taking a break here," she explained with a flustered self-effacing smile.

"Exercise is good," he told her encouragingly. "I was just taking Akamaru for a walk. He'll be restless all day if I don't."

"I see," she said, patting Akamaru's head lovingly while he tried licking at her fingers.

Kiba, wanting to keep Akamaru moving yet at the same time, not wanting to leave Hikaru there alone, reached into his pocket for a small yellow ball that he used for playing fetch. Akamaru immediately perked up, sensing the yellow ball and came running towards him. Kiba tossed it as far as he could down the hill and Akamaru dashed off for it, his little tail wagging with fervor as he chased after the flying yellow object.

"What was that?" she blinked in surprise.

"Oh just a ball," Kiba said, plopping down next to her. "You seem to be in a good mood," he pointed out.

"Am I usually not in a good mood?" she asked thoughtfully.

"Well, usually you look worried," he told her.

"I suppose I do worry a lot."

"I don't blame you, you know… with your _circumstance_," he said, carefully choosing his words.

"Ahh," she said, the exact worried expression he was thinking of coming over her. Kiba mentally smacked himself, he really had to be careful with what he said.

For awhile, they continued to sit in silence as Kiba continued to throw the ball for Akamaru whenever he returned with it.

She was spacing out again as she often did in class. Stealing glimpses at her, he wondered what she was thinking. Everything about Hikaru was shrouded in mystery. Who was this girl? Why was she disguised and living as a boy? Why were her eyes such a strange translucent color? What caused her to make such lonely and sad expressions?

It bothered him that he didn't know anything about her. He wanted to ask, but could never bring himself to. She looked fragile enough as it is, and just hinting that something might be wrong brought a pained expression to her face. Hikaru was not like any other female he had ever known before.

The women he had grown up with were all strong and vivacious, basking in the life they lived. They could be just as loud and rowdy as men and never thought twice before voicing an opinion. However this girl, it was as if she came from a completely different planet. She was so quiet and timid, like a flower struggling against a heavy wind, threatening to blow away any second. But there was a gentleness and softness to her that made Kiba's chivalrous side automatically come out.

She was so incredibly different that it troubled him and he often thought of her even when she wasn't around. So it was a bit disconcerting to him that when he was around, she barely took any notice of him at all. Now that he thought about it, he had caught her more than once looking at Sasuke during class. Even if he wasn't there she would end up staring at his empty desk.

It was always Sasuke that all the girls liked. Why would someone as sensitive as her want anything to with that rotten bastard anyway? So what if he was good looking, he was still a total douche bag. As he looked upon her with the depressed mood he created for himself, he thought that someone like Sasuke really didn't deserve to take up any of Hikaru's thoughts.

Wait, Kiba thought, _was he jealous_? Kiba shot up from the ground, shocked by this thought as if he had just been hit by lightning.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, looking up at him with startled eyes.

There was just something incredibly wrong about liking her. There was no way a rough brutish guy like him would suit such a well-mannered and soft-spoken girl. It was ridiculous, if anyone knew they would all laugh at him.

"I think we took a long enough break," he replied with a nervousness that was foreign to him.

"You can go ahead Kiba-kun, I think I'll stay here a little longer," she said with that sweet smile of hers that just made everything worse.

"I can't just leave you here by yourself," he said, exasperated.

She looked at him for awhile with pondering eyes and he really wanted to know what she was thinking at the moment. He could feel his heart tightening in his chest when it occurred to him how incredibly pretty she looked. Really, it was a rapidly developing sickness. One second he was simply thinking that she looked interesting and that he had never seen anyone like her before, the next he was enraptured. It was a dangerously slippery slope.

"You're right," she said finally, standing up also. "I should be more diligent," and once again gave him that nauseating smile of hers.

"Y-Yeah, diligence," he replied dumbly, pretending to be on the lookout for Akamaru's return to avoid looking directly at her.

"Okay, I'll be going then. I'll see you in class later," she said. He nodded and watched as she ran off.

Once Akamaru returned with the ball, he wiped the saliva off of it with a handkerchief and pocketed it. Before Akamaru could go running after her, he grabbed onto him.

"You're the one to blame for this, I hope you know," Kiba growled at him. Akamaru looked back at him with a happy bark, completely oblivious.

* * *

"Temari, your tempo keeps going off right there," Kankuro bemoaned.

"Stop griping, you're making me nervous," Temari snapped, drawing her bow once again.

The Sand siblings were sitting in the music room, pouring over the new composition that Kankuro had written. Kankuro was sitting in a chair, annoyance written all over his face as he tried to follow the piece with his music score. Her youngest brother, Gaara, sat listlessly on the piano bench, fingering with a few of the keys, D to E flat, back to D, then to F. He was completely absorbed in it, not sparing even an ounce of energy listening to his older two siblings bicker.

"Gaara," Kankuro called out. He didn't hear him. "Gaara!" Kankuro tried again, louder this time. Gaara looked up finally with bored apathy.

"Yes?"

"Play the piece for Temari, she keeps messing it up," Kankuro said, shooting her a glare that she gladly returned. Gaara stared back at him for a few moments, pondering as to whether he should comply or not, but then began to play.

Although he played the piece in a begrudging and mechanical manner, it was nevertheless flawlessly executed. It was annoying, the way her younger brother excelled at everything with minimal effort. Although all three siblings had natural born talent, the older two ended up looking common compared to Gaara. However, no one would've known it since Gaara was not one to ever interact with people nor was he one to show off his ability to do anything.

The two siblings too, wanted to keep their own interaction with him at a minimum, but Kankuro was a perfectionist and Gaara had an infuriatingly well trained ear. Although it wasn't surprising since their father had invested a small fortune on only the best tutors around the world so that one day Gaara could follow in his footsteps. Unfortunately, it didn't work out quite as well as their father had hoped.

"See right in the middle there, your tempo ends up off until you end up in ¾," Kankuro complained.

"Right, sorry," Temari replied with a frown. She glanced over at Gaara who returned to his usual removed expression. Only God knows what he was thinking when he dazed off.

They continued practicing, although with every minute that went by she was one step closer to snapping Kankuro's neck off. Kankuro's perfectionist streak was severely aggravating. However, Temari gritted her teeth and played on, knowing it was for the best.

"Okay, let's take a break," Kankuro said, wiping the sweat off his forehead even though he was sitting the whole time. He got up off of his chair, stretched and walked out the door.

Temari placed her violin back in its case and stretched her own cramping wrists and arms. Gaara was still messing with some of the keys on the piano, creating syncopated notes that littered the air. She glanced out the window; the sun was steadily dropping lower in the sky.

Temari could still recall that boy who she thought was a girl peeping outside the window with wide and impressed translucent eyes. Really, life wasn't fair if a boy could have such clear fair skin and such a pretty face. Not to mention, Temari had a bit of a complex about this, the straight hair with its lacquer sheen.

"Hey Gaara, do you know a kid named Hyuuga Hikaru?" she asked, taking a sip of water from her water bottle.

"I do," he replied, not looking up from what he was doing. His response was a little surprising. Gaara never really paid much attention to learning anyone's name.

"What do you think of him?" she asked. Gaara just gaped at her for a few seconds, probably irked at her phrasing. She kept forgetting that he disliked vague questions.

"I don't have an opinion worth mentioning," he stated. If it was anyone else, Temari would have persisted in her questioning, but with Gaara, he tended to always stick to the answer already given so it was pointless.

He continued playing around with the piano, occasionally breaking from the random notes into a scale or a familiar melody, one which she recognized from a famous opera track from one of Kankuro's favorites. Occasionally the melody started from one piece and ended with another, an upbeat lively scale to a smooth and lovely waltz, but they always ended in dark, tragic and jarring notes, sinking deeper down the scale until Gaara's fingers couldn't go any further. She had never seen him play anything but the piano, but his preference for it, or at least Temari theorized, was simply because he liked that exact spot next to the window and not because of any enjoyment derived from it.

Temari herself was prolific in several musical instruments, but always preferred the classic violin. Kankuro, although he could play as well, was much more interested in conducting and constructing.

Gaara, on the other hand, showed nothing more than the passing interest in their semi-musical, mostly political heritage. She didn't blame him. Their father was a tyrant to Gaara, and just by looking at the person Gaara had become, one could only imagine the horrors he had been put through. Even as his older sister, she knew very little about his life, having only been reacquainted with him years later once they had all transferred to the boarding school.

He never talked about where he was or what he was doing before coming to the school and no one ever asked. Temari and Kankuro had both been attending an Arts Academy back in their home country before they were both suddenly forced to transfer. Neither were happy about it, and both had spent weeks blaming Gaara for it. But once they actually saw him again, with his abnormally catatonic state and empty eyes, they had suddenly lost all enthusiasm for complaining. Something had gone terribly wrong with him, and they both silently agreed that regardless of their differences in the past, it was imperative to look after him.

Temari would be graduating in a few months and then Kankuro the year after that. Who would look after him after they were gone? In one sense, he was like a child who had no idea how to look out for his own well-being. He didn't sleep, he rarely ate and he would often disappear for days at a time only to come back badly wounded in some way. Though, it was hard to say if Gaara was aware or not of the consequences of his actions due to his lack of interest in speaking and the nonexistence of his facial expressions. It was worse, in a way, if he knew all of it but simply didn't care. She didn't know what had happened to him, but the Gaara right now was slowly but surely killing himself and neither sibling knew how to stop him.

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**A/N**: Kind of an odd chapter with a range of perspectives that people probably weren't expecting to see. Itachi is kind of poetic yes? Ahah. Kibahina won't be a major player in the story but I still find it cute. As for the Sand Siblings, I had always wanted to write Temari as a violinist after learning about the all girls strings group "Bond" and Kankuro fitted along with it pretty well. Gaara, I didn't plan to make musically inclined but since it was a trend with his other siblings, I thought _I might as well_…

Also like to thank my readers and reviewers as well and for those who recommended me some excellent looking fics that I'll be sure to look over eventually.


	18. The Art of Falling

**A Man's World**

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A/N: Sorry for taking so long, suffered through a short writer's block and then my laptop died on me. I managed to recover it but most of the screen doesn't work so it took me awhile to find a reliable substitute to finish writing this chapter. Hopefully the loads of Sasuhina in this chapter makes up for the absence. Sorry again readers!

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**Chapter 18 The Art of Falling**

Hinata blinked with surprise; today was not her day. She had never thought of herself as a particularly clumsy person before, but as she laid, her back flat on the ground as she stared up at the ledge she fell from, she reconsidered that opinion of herself. Falling from the top of a ravine, was not what she would consider her most graceful moment. Kiba was yelling something down at her from the top of the ravine she fell into, but he felt miles away and she couldn't make out a word he was saying over the ringing in her own ears.

She looked up at his alarmed expression in a daze, not quite registering anything. The ground felt cool upon her back and the sky was a warm blue color. For a few seconds, she enjoyed these simple pleasures until reality came back to her and pain returned with such a force, that she had no idea which part of her body was hurting and could only guess "everywhere".

"Hikaru! Hikaru! Can you hear me?" Hinata finally began to hear Kiba's shouts. She tried answering with words, but only a groan managed to escape her mouth.

She struggled to sit up, but when she tried to support herself with her right arm, a sharp pain shot from her wrist, taking her breath away and she collapsed back onto the dusty earth. Slowly, she forced her right arm to rise so she could inspect the damage. When she saw it, she made a noise that was something like a whimper.

Bright red blood was streaming down her arm from a nasty gash on the palm of her hand. Her wrist, although the injury not as obvious, was probably broken and at best badly sprained. She spent a few seconds staring at it in horror, but soon composed herself. A motherless daughter in a man's world didn't have the luxury to cry and whine. She had only one choice: to get back up again for no matter how long she waited, that parental figure would never come.

Kiba was still shouting at the top so she looked up at him with a feigned smile to assure him that she was fine. She waved up at him with her left hand. "I'm okay, just a little... disoriented," she called out.

"Your hand's bleeding!" he returned with worry.

"Just a scratch, it's not too deep," she told him as she withdrew a white handkerchief from her pocket. Tying the cloth tightly around her hand, she hoped that it wouldn't be completely soaked through too quickly.

"Hikaru, it doesn't look that there's any easy way back up without climbing. Wait right there and don't move. I'm going to go find Gai-sensei. I'll be back in five minutes tops!" Kiba hollered. She nodded up at him, before he took off running.

When the sounds of his hurried footsteps faded into the distance, Hinata picked herself off the ground and tried her best to pat off the dust and dirt from her clothes and hair. After that, she examined her wrist again, gingerly massaging it at first and then braving to try flexing it. Finding that she could move it at all meant that, at the very least, it wasn't broken beyond repair. Satisfied that she wasn't in need of immediate medical attention, she paced the bottom of the ravine, making sure not to wander too far from her original spot.

Hinata judged from the shallowness of the ravine, it was only a little more than ten feet, that if she walked long enough, she was bound to find a way out. However, she decided she better not go anywhere and took a seat back in her original spot.

The minutes passed, and still there was no sign of Kiba's return. Since Gai too, was taking part in this little scavenger hunt of his, he was bound to be on the move and Kiba would have a difficult time tracking him down. So, she waited in silence, listening to the loud whispering of the wind passing overhead. However, she wasn't alone for long. Voices were soon heard at the top, and Hinata strained her ears in hopes that it was Kiba returning. Much to her despair, it wasn't.

It was Sakura's animated cheerful tone that chattered on about nothing in particular. She was talking about nail polish and Hinata could only guess as to how she came on to the topic when Sakura didn't wear any herself. And of course, Sakura's inattentive and deathly silent partner was Sasuke.

"So, I told her that green nail polish hardly ever compliments anyone's skin tone," Sakura said. "Sasuke-kun, are you listening? Am I boring you? I probably am. Well, not like I can really tell anyway. You have the same expression on your face no matter what I say. Has anyone ever told you that you're really quiet? Not that that's a bad thing of course. It just makes picking a conversation topic really difficult -but maybe not, since you're letting me talk about anything I want. Sasuke-kun, do you have a favorite color?"

There was no response, though that didn't dishearten Sakura at all. "It's probably black isn't it? Like your hair and eyes, and well, that's the color I see you in the most. Honestly, I like black myself but it doesn't suit my personality. But there _is _something stylish and beautiful about the color black."

Hinata had to admit, there was something admirable about her stubborn persistence. No matter what activity it was, Sakura always managed to end up paired with Sasuke. Even if the teacher assigned the pairs beforehand, she would simply take matters into her own hands and use whatever means necessary to make the switch until she got what she wanted in the end.

Hinata wished she could call out to them and let them know that she was down there, but it wouldn't have been of any use. Sakura, ever since Sasuke's suspension three days ago (today was his first day back), had become increasingly cold towards her. Sasuke was a hit or miss towards Hinata. If she were to alert him of her trouble, he would either completely ignore her with a spiteful smirk or come rushing down to save her. It was hard to tell which he would do, but she didn't want to risk it being the former. So, Hinata decided it was better to just wait for Kiba, who at least, was reliable.

In order to not be seen (in case either of the two decide to take a peek down the ravine), Hinata hid underneath a jutting ridge.

"By the way, what do you think of Hikaru-kun?" Sakura asked suddenly. Hinata flushed in embarrassment at the mention of her name.

"What's it to you?" Sasuke replied disdainfully.

"Well, you seem to get along with him pretty well and anyone that you like, I want to know more about."

"What makes you think that?" Sasuke's tone was steeping deeper and deeper into hostile waters.

"Er... you don't seem to _hate _him," Sakura remarked.

"So, you're saying that if I don't hate someone, I automatically like them?" Sasuke asked mockingly.

"No, that's not what I meant," Sakura said, exasperated.

"If you don't mean it, then don't say it," Sasuke scoffed.

Sakura said nothing and for awhile, everything was silent again. Hinata hoped that they would soon move on from the area. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side and their voices could be heard once again, this time closer to where she was sitting.

"Hey, this notebook..." Hinata heard Sakura said. "It has Hikaru's name on it." Hinata paled. She had forgotten that she had dropped her notebook right before her fall.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke muttered, not too far from Sakura.

"It's Hikaru's notebook," Sakura repeated. "What a coincidence huh? I wonder if he knows that he dropped it. Geez, look at these notes, they're so _neat_. They're even color coded! Can you believe it?" Sakura cried. "And look at his handwriting!"

Hinata's face reddened. She had done her best to keep the neatest notes possible. Hinata wasn't the fastest learner, and she needed to view those notes constantly throughout the day in order to absorb all the material.

"What's wrong with being neat?" Sasuke said coolly. Hinata would've liked to believe Sasuke was defending her, but she knew that he was most likely defending his own compulsive neatness. Hinata had actually taken quite a few tips from Sasuke's own notes when he had leant her his notebook. However, with the exception of that one day, the notebook was completely blank save for random reminders scribbled here and there.

"N-Nothing," Sakura replied hastily, though sounded annoyed (she thought he was defending her).

"Why are you so obsessive over Hikaru?" Sasuke finally asked. Even he, who ignored almost everything that Sakura said to him, was beginning to see that all their conversations tended to swerve back to the topic of his roommate.

"What? I'm not obsessive. You're imagining things Sasuke-kun."

"You... do you like him or something?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

"What?" Sakura cried, sounding almost horrified. "No way! Wait–you actually think that I–for Hikaru-kun...?"

"You sure talk about him a lot."

"No way, Sasuke-kun, are you jealous?" Sakura asked in a sing song and very pleased tone.

"Why would I be jealous?" Sasuke said, thoroughly annoyed. "Hikaru wouldn't like you anyway."

Suddenly, the sound of fluttering pages could be heard and a second later, Hinata saw her notebook land with a dull thud on the ground in front of her. Hinata's eyes widened in shock while her heart sank in dismay, Sakura really didn't like her.

"What the hell was that?" Sasuke snapped, even he, though used to Sakura's antics, did not expect such a thing from her.

"My hand slipped," was Sakura's coy reply.

"Bullshit, why did you just do that? Go get it," Sasuke ordered angrily.

"You're joking right?" Sakura asked uneasily.

"Am I?" the dire seriousness of his voice answered the question for her.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun, only an idiot would go into the ravine. It stretches for _miles_," Sakura cried. Hinata certainly felt like an idiot, now more than ever.

"Tch, fine."

"Sasuke-kun, where are you go–"

But before Hinata could figure out what was going on up there, there was a sharp cry from Sakura as Sasuke dropped down into the ravine, right in front of her. She stared at him, terrified, and backed as far as she could onto the stone wall, which wasn't very far. For a few moments, he remained partially crouched in front of her, his expression betraying only mild surprise.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled from the top. "Are you _insane_?"

Sasuke frowned upon hearing Sakura. He straightened himself up, brushing away black hair that had fallen on his face. All Hinata could do was gape, frozen in her spot. He looked at her for a few more seconds, tilting his head slightly in wonder, before he looked down searchingly. Spotting the notebook, he bent down to snatch it off the ground.

"Sasuke-kun are you okay? Answer me!" she demanded, her high pitch bordering on shrill.

"I fell," he replied dully, but it was an obvious lie. However, Sakura, in her panic, didn't register it and continued to panic.

"Are you hurt?"

"Do I look hurt? It's not that fucking far down. Use your _eyes_." Pissed off would've been putting it too lightly.

"Hold on Sasuke-kun, I'll get help!" she cried, ignoring the maliciousness in his voice. Hinata could hear the sound of her footsteps scrambling away in a hurry. Well, at least there were now two people getting help, Hinata thought.

With the initial shock was over, Hinata looked inquisitively at Sasuke. Did he really just jump down ten feet to retrieve her notebook? How in the world did he plan on getting back out again?

"What?" Sasuke snapped, his dangerous tone daring her to say something.

"N-Nothing," Hinata replied quickly. It was obviously not the best time to ask him why he was doing such a good deed.

"The notebook was an excuse to get away from Sakura," he told her sharply, not liking the curious look on her face. Hinata wanted to tell him that there was probably a less dangerous way of avoiding her than by jumping down the ravine, but just nodded in silence.

Sasuke, realizing that she couldn't be seen where she was sitting, plopped down next to her. She glanced at him warily, but once again said nothing.

"And you're down here because...?" Sasuke ventured to ask.

"I fell."

"I can tell. You practically left a pool of blood behind," he said, taking note of the red stains a few feet from them. "But why are you just sitting down here?" he asked. "I know you heard us up there, especially Sakura. You should've said something."

"Its fine," she murmured, avoiding his piercing gaze. "Kiba-kun should be coming with help soon." That, and she had missed her chance anyway once Sakura had started talking about her, Hinata thought.

Sasuke said nothing to this. After a few long seconds of awkward silence, he began to flip through her notebook which he still had in his hand.

"My notebook..." she looked at it longingly but wasn't brave enough to take it away from him.

"It really _is _neat," Sasuke said, actually impressed.

"Can I have it back now?" she asked. She tried reaching for it, but seeing that she had automatically extended her damaged right hand, she immediately withdrew it. Sasuke noticed it, however.

"Here," he dropped it into her lap before getting up.

"Um... where are you going?" she asked as he started to walk away. She got up too.

"Looking for a way out," he told her without stopping. She followed him reluctantly.

"But help should be here soon," she argued.

"Not soon enough. The sight of your bloody hand makes me sick," he replied under his breath and continued walking.

"I–I can hide it," she told him. "So let's just wait. It's not so bad."

But Sasuke wasn't deterred. Although her handkerchief was soaked through and was now caked in dry blood, it had stop bleeding. With the notebook under her left arm, she followed him unhappily. She wanted to stay put, but she also didn't want Sasuke to wander off alone.

After a minute of walking, the two came across a dark opening at that end of the ravine. Hinata looked uneasily into the ominous darkness.

"Let's turn back," she suggested.

"_You_ can turn back. Your _Kiba-kun _is probably there already looking for you," he taunted. "I'm going in though."

Hinata frowned at his scornful reply; he was certainly in a wretched mood as of late. She watched him disappear into the tunnel and felt obligated to follow him. Her common sense told her to forget about it and turn back, but instinct told her that she couldn't. She wasn't following Sasuke because she truly thought that he could find a way out through this cave. It wasn't something she quite understood herself, but all she knew was that if she didn't follow him, it would damage their already shaky relationship.

She sighed as she stepped into the tunnel's mouth. An eerie breeze blew from the darkness, telling them that there was indeed an end to the tunnel, but there was no light to signal an opening of any sort so Hinata couldn't jump to any conclusions. They continued on in silence, the only noise accompanying them came from the crunching noises of their shoes pressing against graveled ground and the occasional scurrying of what was probably a rat.

"This is getting ridiculous," she heard Sasuke mutter under his breath after a good five minutes. The light at the opening had dimmed considerably and there was no end in sight.

"Let's go –" her words were cut off when she spotted the shadowy outline of a furry creature scramble underneath her foot before she could complete her step. With a yelp, she tried to balance herself but instead, found herself falling backwards. But Sasuke, with his lightning reflexes, caught one of her flailing hands and pulled her back upwards towards him. But he had underestimated the force needed and ended up pulling her so hard that she ended up tipping over and colliding face first onto his chest.

And it hurt.

Hinata had never had the chance in her fifteen years of life to work out the more subtle differences in anatomy between boys and girls, so it came as a shock to her when her landing wasn't soft. Instead of landing on flesh, it felt more like her head just smacked against a rock.

It took Hinata few seconds to fully figure out what had just happened, and when she did figure it out, she was mortified to find that both her arms were wrapped tightly around Sasuke, her face pressing against the soft cloth of his shirt.

At that moment, it was hard to say who was more stunned, Hinata or Sasuke. It would've been an understatement to say that Hinata was embarrassed enough to expire right there on the spot inside the cave. Quickly, she let go of him and attempted to distance herself, except something was stopping her. At first she didn't quite know what, but afterwards, when the only other option was to push him away with her hands, did she figure out what had blocked her. Her face burned a deeper crimson when she realized that Sasuke had _also _been holding onto her. One of his hands had been firmly placed on the middle of her back, preventing her from being able to move backwards. Actually, if Hinata had been able to assess the situation calmly, she would've also learned that he had been pulling her closer towards him (whether intentionally or not).

Hinata could make out for a split second, Sasuke's startled face when she pushed him away, but not much else since her eyes immediately darted away to anything _but _Sasuke as she tried to regain her composure and still her racing heartbeat.

After a grace period of silence that let them both digest what had just happened, Sasuke was the first to speak. Hinata was so frazzled, that she couldn't muster up the courage to apologize for grabbing onto him so suddenly.

"You're bleeding again," he told her in a low voice, though it echoed loudly enough in the narrow tunnel to make Hinata flinch.

"Oh," came her short reply in a small voice, the only sound she could manage at the moment when she realized that her fists were clenched so tightly in anxiety that her right palm had started bleeding again. Her wrist also ached from when she pushed Sasuke away.

Hinata then became aware of the overpowering metallic smell of blood, which was made more concentrated in the dark and narrow space. Although the pain wasn't as strong as when she had first fell, she suddenly felt like crying. But, she didn't and fought it back with determination.

"...Let's go back," Sasuke suggested suddenly. She nodded, but didn't look up at him.

Their walk back was uneventful, neither feeling much like saying anything, and both preoccupied with their own thoughts. For Hinata, all she could think about was her own embarrassment. She walked as slowly as possible, in fear of Sasuke seeing how red her face was and hoping the blush would disappear once they reached broad daylight again. Feeling her cheeks once they left the cave, she thought with agony that they were still unbearably hot.

Unfortunately, no one was back for them once they returned to their original waiting spot. Hinata looked up at the empty ledges in disappointment. Class should almost be over, so Kiba should have no trouble finding Gai by now. Hinata inspected her wrapped hand once again, frowning at the uncomfortable stinging sensation that reminded her that the wound had reopened.

Sasuke let out a frustrated groan. He rubbed the back of his neck in impatience as he scanned the top of the ravine.

"How high can you jump?" he asked suddenly.

"N-Not very," she told him with confusion.

"I could get out on my own, but I'm not so sure about getting _you _out. Either way, I guess we should at least _try_," he said.

"Try... what?" Hinata asked uneasily.

"I'll go up first," he said without explanation.

Sasuke took a few steps back and Hinata realized he planned on jumping. With a sudden burst of speed, he ran forward. Once he was close enough, he leapt upwards, his right foot connecting with the uneven ridges of the wall to further propel him upwards until he was high enough to grab hold of the top. With ridiculous ease, he lifted the rest of his body up and was soon, completely free. Hinata watched in awed fascination. All that time he had spent training certainly paid off.

"Now, let's see how high you can jump," he said, crouching over the edge.

Hinata frowned as she looked up at his dead serious face. She still wanted to wait for Kiba, but it didn't seem like she had much of a choice now. She came up to the side of the cliff, in line of where Sasuke was at the top.

"Just jump as high as you can, I'll try to grab your hand," he said. He was on his knees now, his left hand gripping the edge for support as he lowered his right one down to her.

Hinata stretched out her left hand, and seeing as to how his own hand wasn't so far from her own, she began to think that it could work. Her first jump was a feeble one. She had overestimated her own ability and their fingertips only barely grazed each other.

The second time was a success and Sasuke grabbed firmly onto her left hand. She dangled in the air for a half second before colliding with the wall. Sasuke then pulled her up with one powerful tug that she felt as though she was practically flying through the air.

For some reason, she was breathless as she collapsed on the floor next to him. Sasuke on the other hand, just looked at her thoughtfully.

"S-Somehow... I made it. Thank you," she said, flashing him a small but grateful smile.

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a commotion of noise heading towards them. They both turned to see Gai, Kiba and Sakura heading towards them. Kiba was the first to arrive, pulling Hinata off the ground and more importantly, away from Sasuke. Sakura too, came and took her claim over her partner.

"Hikaru are you alright?" Kiba asked. He gave a glare at Sasuke, it looked as though he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't.

"I think so," she said.

After that Gai took over to look at her injury. His main concern was her wrist, but he deemed it sprained but luckily, unbroken. He told her to immediately head towards the infirmary so the nurse could properly bandage her up. Kiba wanted to accompany her, but Gai refused, telling him that it wasn't needed and that they should all be heading back to class.

So, Hinata went back alone, equipped with ample time to think over everything that had happened.

"Ah!" she was suddenly struck with a dismal revelation. "I dropped my notebook again..."

She had dropped it back in the tunnel when she fell again. Hinata sighed unhappily. Now what was she to do? She supposed that she would just have to leave it there for now. In her state, she couldn't go back and get it and she certainly couldn't imagine troubling anyone else to get it for her.

And... what did she think of her second fall? Hinata tried her best not to think about it at all. Just the act of _almost_ recalling it turned her cheeks a tomato red.

Hinata arrived at the infirmary ten minutes later. The two story building stood as she remembered it. She went in and the receptionist bided her to sign in, telling her that there weren't any available nurses at the moment, but she could wait in her assigned room down the hall.

"It won't be too long," she told Hinata.

She went into the diagnostic room, taking a seat opposite to what she guessed was the doctor's desk. The walls were plastered with posters of the human anatomy and colorful charts on vaccinations. Strips of light streaming from the blinds-covered window made glowing diagonal cuts across the white curtains that hid the other half of the room. When Hinata went to look behind the curtain, she half imagined to find Gaara there, but there was only an empty white bed.

A few minutes later, a large clanging noise could be heard out in the hallways. Hinata, curious, poked her head outside to see a bunch of nurses running down the hallway. One of them had dropped a large pan of hot water, and the older nurse was scolding her. The flustered one apologized repeatedly and ran back the other way to fetch a new basin of water while the receptionist went to get a mop for the wet floor. The other nurses quickly hurried away down the hall.

Hinata walked up to the receptionist who was busy mopping the floor now. "Did something happen?" she asked.

"One of the patients is in a critical condition," she regretfully informed her. "Unfortunately we're short on nurses and doctors at the moment. You're going to have to wait a little longer I'm afraid," she said.

"Oh, that's okay. I can wait, it's nothing too serious. Actually I can bandage the wound myself," she said.

"Well, there's a first aid kit in one of the cabinets," the receptionist told her. "It shouldn't be locked, so help yourself. That bloody handkerchief must be uncomfortable."

Hinata thanked her and went back into her room. The first two cabinets she tried were locked, but the third one opened to reveal a first aid kit. She took it out and got started on her wound, cleaning it and then wrapping it.

Not long after she had finished bandaging her hand did Sasuke suddenly storm into her room. She stared at him, beyond startled by his sudden appearance. For a moment, he looked around as if he didn't know why he was suddenly there either, but then he set his eyes on her with an intent look.

"I-Is something wrong?" she asked, wondering if he had been hurt.

"No... there's nothing wrong," he said.

"Why aren't you in class?"

"You don't know me very well if you're asking me that," he said with a wry smile.

"Then why are you here?" she asked, knitting her brow in confusion.

Suddenly, Sasuke reached into his messenger bag that he had with him and pulled out her notebook.

"You dropped this, by the way," he said.

"Y-You went back to get it?" she was stunned.

"Well, that was the plan when I first jumped down," he told her dryly.

"T-Thank you," she flushed. "But you shouldn't have skipped class just to get it and bring it to me." She reached out to take the notebook, but Sasuke immediately pulled it back and out of her reach.

"I never said I did it for free. For all my trouble, I should get something in return," he said.

Hinata knitted her eyebrows in confusion. "Like what?" she asked, disappointed.

"I need you to tell me what happened that day," he said.

"What day?"

"When Itachi-" his features distorted slightly, as if it pained him to even speak his brother's name. "When you went after him..." his words trailed off, but Hinata immediately knew what he was talking about it. He meant the day when he was rendered unconscious by Itachi.

Sasuke hadn't known before that she had actually run after Itachi, but she guessed someone must've told him.

"Nothing happened," she lied. "I ran after him, but by the time I reached him, he had already brought you back to the dormitory." She didn't want to lie, but she couldn't bring herself to say: "We were talking about how we used to be engaged, and by the way, did you know that huge chunks of my childhood memories are missing? Then he talked about how he was a murderer."

"You're lying," he said darkly, narrowing his eyes. "Someone saw you walk away with him, away from the dormitory."

Hinata panicked, she had to make up a story. "We didn't talk about anything in particular. I just asked him why he did what he did... and why you were so angry at him," she said, trying to make it as believable as possible and hoping that her face wasn't betraying her.

"And did he tell you why?" he asked. The room was thick with tension and the seriousness of Sasuke's expression frightened her.

"Not really," another lie. She was turning out to be a fantastic liar. Hinata thought with bitterness that at the rate she was going, she might be suited to be the head of the clan after all.

Sasuke walked past her and plopped down on the bed behind the curtain. "I have all day you know. I can wait until you decide you want to tell me the truth," he said. He lied down unceremoniously and propped up her notebook. "I have a lot of class notes to catch up on anyway," he added.

Hinata stared at him in disbelief. Was he serious? He certainly seemed serious. Not that it mattered; Hinata too, was stubborn in her resistance.

"I can't tell you, so do you whatever you like," she told him quietly.

Sasuke sat up with a disdainful scowl. "Why not? Did you make some sort of promise with him?"

"No," she said.

"Are you _protecting_ him?" he shot with disgust.

"No, I'm not!"

"So, you don't mind not getting your precious notes back?"

"Keep them," she said defiantly. She didn't feel very defiant, but it didn't matter since she couldn't tell him anyway, even though, a part of her really wanted to.

"There are other ways I could get the information out of you," he said threateningly.

"Are you going to hurt me? I'm already in the infirmary," she said hastily. Her words didn't sit well with Sasuke. He got up angrily.

"Is that what you think of me?" he said in a dangerously low voice. He came towards her with a stormy expression on his face and Hinata automatically shot out her chair and backed away. She edged towards the door, not sure exactly what Sasuke planned to do once he reached her (probably nothing), but she didn't want to find out.

When he got too close for comfort, Hinata had edged to the front of the door. She reached for the knob, but leaning too far back, the door gave way unexpectedly and she suddenly found herself, for the third time that day, in free fall. The last thing she saw was Sasuke's alarmed face before she reflexively tried to break her fall with her right hand. Unfortunately, this time he wasn't quick enough to catch her. The last thing she heard was the terrifyingly grotesque cracking sound of her own wrist as white hot pain exploded in her head. And then, there was nothing at all. She passed out.

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**Thanks for reading! I would love your review. C:**


	19. Deepest Darkest Fears

**A Man's World**

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A/N: Sorry about the long wait. I don't really have any excuses... haha. Also, I revised some of the previous chapters (even changed a chapter name) for spelling, grammar and to fill out/take out any plot discrepancies.

Once again, thank you all for the support and I'm sorry for being such a lousy updater. I didn't mean to leave it for so long when the last chapter was a cliffhanger!

A word of warning before you guys start reading, this chapter will consist mainly of what happened in the last chapter (and the days before that) told from Sasuke's point of view. There won't really be anything new happening till his part ends.

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**Chapter 19 Deepest Darkest Fears**

Since the start of the new school term, the most frequently talked about subject on campus was the new student "Hyuuga Hikaru". Aside from the fact that the school rarely ever had new transfer students (the last being three particular siblings from out of the country), the new boy, Hikaru, was a very welcome addition to the limited amount of topics to gossip about in the secluded world of the boarding school.

There were several reasons why Hikaru was such an interesting topic for the bored teenagers. For one, Hikaru was the younger brother of _the _Hyuuga Neji and no one ever failed to compare and contrast the two. Secondly, Hikaru's feminine characteristics and manners made females swoon over those delicate features that often repulsed the males. And most importantly of all, no one could help wondering about Hikaru's relationship with the object of a large portion of the female population's daydreams and fantasies, Uchiha Sasuke. Like a wolf living with a rabbit, people were honestly surprised this Hyuuga Hikaru had not already been torn to shreds.

Everyone wanted to know exactly what Sasuke thought of his unusual roommate, but only a few ventured to ask, and for those few, no answer was ever given. Sasuke remained elusive and unwilling to talk about it.

Although, if he ever were to answer truthfully to this question, he could only reply with, "It's complicated."

Hyuuga Hikaru, or better known to him as Hinata, was a complicated person who complicated Sasuke's otherwise straight-forward life. This thought often crossed his mind at random intervals throughout the day, particularly when she was complicating his life with her knack and talent for attracting trouble. So, it came as no surprise to Sasuke when Hinata, for the third time that day, wreaked havoc on his heart by this unfortunate talent of hers.

But before that, rewind backwards by one day.

It was a gloomy morning heavy with spring fog and Sasuke was at his usual post near the outskirts of the campus honing his fighting skills instead of attending class. His suspension couldn't have been more welcome. After Itachi's crushing display of skill, Sasuke would've liked nothing more than to be alone and away from his peers, who, without a doubt, had their own opinions on what had happened.

Classrooms were more like prisons than actual centers of learning. Sasuke found more knowledge from the random assortment of books he read than from the incoherent noise that the teachers enjoyed branding as "lectures". What happened outside of class was not much more interesting either. The circle of people he had become accustomed to being near (the athletic and martial arts enthusiasts) had absolutely no knack for conversation or an ounce of wit in those empty fish tanks that passed for heads. The girls that surrounded him on the other hand, were even worse. The girls were no different in intellect when their neurons were eroded and numbed down by all the cosmetic products they sprayed, smeared and smothered all over themselves. If one of them had simply _asked_, Sasuke would've told them "_no_, guys are not attracted to the smell of bile-inducing chemicals, they only flirt with you because the more shit you cover yourself with, the easier and more insecure you look." From the macho chest thumping of the males and the conniving sneakiness of the females who hid behind carefully crafted masks known as "the made-up face", Sasuke found his life absolute agony if he were around people for a long enough time. The adults and teachers were probably the worst of the bunch. Half of them were just empty shells dragging their lifeless corpses around in an attempt to at least look alive even though they're already halfway through the door towards a desolate life of eternal regret and sorrow. The other half were stuck in a state of denial where they ran around with their half-baked delusions as if they actually mattered.

Such was the state of Sasuke's dark pessimism, two devils placed upon symmetrical shoulders, as he struggled with all his might to keep himself from considering that he too, might not be so different from the people he loathed. It was easy for him to see the pointlessness of other people's lives, but when his eye turned inwards, he preferred to look away and distract himself with the mind-numbing task of exhausting his body with a strict and military training routine.

When his anger on the state of mankind went from a scalding burn to a dull ache, his mind often turned to his own past. His clan, his family, the world as he used to see it all reached the inevitable crumbling and ruin like the fate of great empires. But he refused to accept such an ending to his life. Being alive meant that there was still more to the story and his mind transpired and fixed upon revenge as that redeeming light at the end of the tunnel.

Every day he dredged up his tragic past, replayed it with such alacrity that anytime he found his emotional wounds healing with time, he would willfully tear them open again. To keep the hatred in his heart fresh, he constantly bled it. In history, nothing inspires action more than hatred, nothing inspires change more than anger, and nothing makes for a more memorable story than the spilling of blood.

It was with these usual ruminations in mind that Sasuke began his training ritual. He had managed to go undisturbed for several hours until the usual lunch hour rolled around and he was interrupted by a rather nosy blonde girl.

"Working hard I see" Ino said with a playful grin. She sat a few yards away from him upon a worn away tree stump, one leg crossed over the other.

"Go away, I'm not in the mood."

The odd sensation of an incomplete picture made him give a second glance. It took him a few seconds to realize that Sakura was missing. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but gradually over the span of a year, Ino never came to see him without Sakura anymore. Apparently her teenage crush on him remained exactly that, an infatuation that was forgotten as soon as Sasuke was out of her sights.

"Sakura has been worried sick you know, after what happened. She's been holed up in her bed these past two nights crying her eyes out. She can't even bring herself to come and bother you," she told him with a dramatic sigh and a shrug of the shoulders.

"That's her problem," Sasuke replied coolly.

"Well, I'm not going to disagree with you there. Besides, she'll get over it by tomorrow when you return to school. Actually, there is a reason I came to find you and believe it or not, it isn't to secretly make you fall in love with me just because Sakura is temporarily sitting out of the game," she laughed at his scowl. "Don't give me that look Sasuke-kun, you know it's like a game don't you? It's only that Sakura's so thick headed that she hasn't realized it yet. You'd think with that large forehead of hers... well I'm getting off topic aren't I?" Ino's pale blue eyes glinted animatedly.

"Get on with it," Sasuke snapped impatiently. He was not in the mood to humor her nor was he in the mood to leave and find a new spot.

"I came here with purely good intentions! You see, it's actually about Hikaru."

"What about him?" Sasuke asked, knitting his brow in discontent. He had come to dread any conversation that had to do with "his roommate" as the other guys he knew called her. None of the guys dared to bring up the topic to him, but the girls, on the other hand, simply reveled in it.

"That's what I want to ask you about. After you got – ahem, excuse my lack of a better word – knocked out by Uchiha-sensei, Hikaru literally jumped up and ran to your rescue. _But_," Ino paused theatrically, "later, after class got out, I saw the two talking privately behind the theater building by the benches," she stated.

"And?" Sasuke said with masked indifference while dread began to fill the pits of his stomach. Hinata shouldn't be talking to Itachi of all people. He also found it unsettling that the setting they chose was one of his favorite places on campus.

"The thing is, they looked like they were having a very serious talk. Hikaru looked incredibly disturbed."

"What were they talking about?" Sasuke asked, feeling more anxious by the second.

"I only saw them from the window so I couldn't hear them," Ino told him. "I just thought I should let you know. I was planning on telling you earlier, but you're extremely hard to find. Props to Sakura for being able to sniff you out like a hound dog."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sasuke asked warily.

"I just thought that it was something you should know. I don't think you knew how _heroically_Hikaru came to your defense."

It was obvious to Sasuke that there was an ulterior motive behind Ino relinquishing this information, but at the moment, he wasn't in the right mind state to give it much thought. His thoughts solely revolved around what Itachi and Hinata had said to each other that day.

Ino soon began jabbering on about something else, but he had stopped paying attention. Without another word, he left his training post back to the dormitory. Ino didn't try stopping him, but even though he couldn't see her, he could tell that a pleased smile was etched onto her face.

Intersecting streams of thought were running through Sasuke's mind. When he had first seen her reaction and confusion over Itachi, he knew that she didn't recognize him either, but Sasuke left the matter alone; he felt that it was better that she didn't remember anything about the Uchiha. However, Itachi couldn't be trusted to share his sentiments. Now that Sasuke knew that an exchange of some sort happened between the two, it explained Hinata's recent overall drop in mood. He was worried about what Itachi had said to her. For all he knew, Itachi could be spitting out lies and was using her to scheme against him.

Sasuke was so preoccupied by these thoughts that he didn't even notice the walk back and was surprised to find himself already in his own room.

He immediately took a shower and changed into a fresh set of clothing. There was nothing he hated more than sitting around with sweaty clothes sticking to his body. After he left his bathroom, he dropped down onto his bed and pulled out a book from underneath it. Now, he would wait for Hinata to come back from classes so he could question her.

Unfortunately, it had not gone as he had planned. Minutes turned into hours and she had not returned. Class had been over for a good three hours. The situation was laughably ironic. After all the time he had spent avoiding her, the only time he did wish to seek her out, she refuses to appear. Sasuke, tired of waiting idly around in the room, decided to go look for her instead.

There were only a few places on campus that she could possibly be so Sasuke threw on a jacket and left the dormitories. His first guess was the library, but aside from the few stragglers here and there, she was not to be found hidden amongst the endless shelves of books or bent over her school work at one of the tables. His second guess proved to be a better one: the cafeteria.

It was already seven when Sasuke arrived. A light silvery mist was matting the grounds and the amber lamp posts had been turned on, dimly illuminating the impatient black crows that perched upon them.

He immediately spotted Hinata in a far corner of the cafeteria huddled in her over-sized beige coat. He had expected to see her eating with Kiba or Naruto, but instead she was sitting with an unfamiliar girl who was chattering happily by herself. Hinata only responded in quick nods and flustered smiles.

As he approached the two, the other girl, after seeing him immediately stopped talking and all enthusiasm drained from her face.

"Uchiha-san, are you here for dinner too?" Hinata looked surprised. She refused to call him by his first name in public.

"Who's that?" Sasuke ignored the question since he obviously wasn't there to eat. The girl Hinata was with cowered timidly in her spot, sneaking careful bashful glances at him. Her eyes seemed to crawl over him, slimy and sticky, and it disgusted him.

"This is – "

"Forget it, I don't care," Sasuke interrupted. "Actually I wanted to speak to you."

"Is something wrong?" Hinata asked, exchanging a pitying glance with the disappointed girl.

"Privately," Sasuke added. The crowds around them were beginning to tune into their meeting and their wall of inquisitive eyes were making him claustrophobic as they closed in upon him.

"Oh, okay," Hinata got up. "I'll be back," she added to the girl.

"Oh no, you two can go, I think I'll call it a night and return to my room," the girl told her.

As soon as they exchanged their goodbyes, Hinata followed Sasuke away from the buzzing chatter back to the shaded patch of forest near the outskirts of the cafeteria area. As soon as they reached a relatively secluded area, he turned to face her.

"What is it?" she asked, uneasy that he had called her out.

"It's about –" he began but was interrupted by a fit of giggling behind them.

Glancing over his shoulders, he spotted a partially hidden couple whispering on a stone bench a few yards away, their backs towards them. There was no obvious light to reveal them, but the innocuous pick-up lines the guy was using and the ditzy giggling of the girl was a very unwanted intrusion.

"Hey, we should do something tomorrow," the girl said.

"Hmm okay, what do you want to do?"

"Let's go to Temari-sempai's rehearsal concert!"

"...How about a movie instead?" he suggested. This elicited a playful smack from the girl while the guy laughed good-humoredly.

"C'mon, it'll be great, I promise! Besides, I'll wear that dress you like…"

"Fine, alright."

The guy's heavy sigh was answered with an outburst of cheek kissing from the girl. While this was all happening, a light red blush crept over Hinata's face as she looked this way and that awkwardly.

"Sh-Should we go somewhere else?" Hinata suggested in a low whisper.

It seemed ironic to him that if he hadn't suffered as he did in his childhood, that his life would probably be similar to the insufferable idiots behind him, maybe it could have even been him and Hinata. Sasuke furrowed his brow with discontent at the conjured imagery – no, that wasn't right. In _no universe_would that be them.

"Let's go," Sasuke grumbled and started away.

They followed the edge of the cluster of trees until they were far enough to escape any prying eyes and ears coming along the path. Under the dim glow of twilight sifting amongst the dark trees, Hinata appeared to him, almost like a stranger. The anxious fidgeting from earlier had ceased and her expression was a calm dreamy one. Maybe it was the way the shadows brushed against her face or the quiet sweep of lashes that fanned over the still milky pools of her eyes, but she seemed… altered in some way.

The way she appeared seemed so foreign to him that he had to ask, "Are you okay? You seem… different."

"What do you mean?" surprise flickered over her eyes.

"I – I don't – you know what? Never mind it's nothing," he hastily replied. Maybe he was imagining things. The night tended to play tricks on him.

"I'm a little tired," she said after a thoughtful pause. That wasn't what he had meant to ask, though she had been less energetic these past few days. "Is that what you wanted to ask?"

"No it wasn't."

"Then what is it?" she asked with incredible patience. "You seem…" her words trailed off.

"Seem what?"

"Nervous," she said with an almost light smile.

"Nervous," he repeated with plenty of ironic sarcasm. "Coming from you, it _must_be true," he retorted with unexpected harshness. The words escaped before he was even aware that they had formed, leaving both of them quite speechless afterwards.

"It's getting late," Hinata said with some difficulty after the prolonged silence. "If y-you have nothing more to say, I-I think I'll return to the dormitory."

"Are you upset about what I said?" he asked, waiting intently for her answer. Any sense of calm she had before shattered and he could see her bottom lip quivering.

"No," she quickly replied. "I'm not upset," she added after seeing the disbelief on his face. "I-I think I'll head back now."

Sasuke watched as she disappeared past the curve of the grove, probably as relieved yet troubled as he was. Instead of his usual snarky remark, he had a feeling that if she had answered 'yes' to his question, he would've probably apologized, maybe even begged for forgiveness in an uncharacteristically pathetic way that only guys from sappy romance dramas would do. The cover of night had a strange effect on him and he felt as if he had only marginally escaped disaster.

He didn't understand why he didn't ask her about Itachi. That was the whole point of seeking her out wasn't it? It was stupid really. Left alone in the dark with only the sound of faraway laughter to keep him company, a heavy feeling had settled onto his chest and he slumped against the cool bark of a tree for support. He thought and thought, but couldn't find any reason for not having questioned her. It wasn't as if the opportunity didn't present itself, there had been many windows open for him to choose from, but in the end nothing happened. Instead, that _nervous_comment had thrown him off guard.

Nervous… what in the world made her think that he was nervous? He would've spent more time thinking about if the unpleasant answer didn't already exist in the back of his mind. Thinking about it would only lead to more problems and he already had enough to worry about.

Instead, he headed to the gym: the perfect remedy for a bad day. Nothing was better at relieving stress than a bloody fist fight until he was completely depleted of anything except the aching pains of his most basic senses. Certainly, being pounded raw until you saw red couldn't exactly be called "fun", but the closest Sasuke had come to contentment was when he could overpower his opponent and the closest he had come to emotional catharsis was when he had completely exhausted himself to the point of passing out.

Sasuke didn't return to the dormitory and spent the night nursing his bruises at the infirmary. He found himself an empty room on the second floor. There weren't very many people that actually stayed over at the infirmary overnight, but the ones that did, stayed on the second floor. Sasuke picked a bed and plopped down, even though he knew very well that it was unlikely that he would be able to fall asleep. In the room next to his, for the walls were thin, he heard sound of a little girl talking to someone. Occasionally, the infirmary housed students who were ill, but had nowhere to return to.

Unfortunately, the next day provided more problems courtesy of Hinata. Sasuke was beginning to feel the effect of fate's morbid sense of humor when he had jumped down the ravine and ended up coming face to face with her after avoiding her all morning. He had honestly meant his retrieving her notebook as a means to escape the endless stream of noise that came from Sakura's mouth and once he had convinced Sakura into getting help, he would simply just climb up again and skip the rest of his classes while they spent the day searching for him.

But, Hinata, with her frightened doe-eyed expression, broken wrist and bloody hand, he couldn't simply leave her stranded there alone. She seemed to have completely forgotten about the incident from the previous night, or at least, she didn't find it unusual enough to dwell on.

And then, her second fall in the cave happened. Sasuke didn't know which was more mortifying, that fact that she tried to fight him off like a fish out of water, or that he held on like a starving fisherman with kids to feed. He was used to girls throwing their arms around him, and the usual myriad of sensations that often followed. Girls were suspiciously soft and fleshy, but he never ventured to pursue the thought after that.

Hinata... well, he didn't feel so much of the _soft and fleshy _part as he did the layers of thick clothing. Actually, it was more like hugging a pile of laundry rather than an actual person – which wouldn't have had much of an effect on him if he hadn't been expecting something else from it. Out of innocent curiosity, he had griped her tighter to figure out what in the world she was hiding underneath all the clothes. (A/N: without any impure intentions *cough*)

But, Hinata wouldn't have any of it and decidedly cut his little investigation short, struggling hard enough to reopen her wound. The smell of blood quickly brought him back his sanity and he quickly gave up anymore ideas that would prolong their time together in the ravine. Their time alone rekindled his desire to ask her about what had happened with Itachi. Retrieving her notebook again after dodging the rest of his classmates as they returned to class, he decided once and for all to find out the truth from her.

However it didn't turn out as he had planned. Hinata slipped after trying to escape from him and he was forced to watch, thunderstruck. He lunged towards her, hoping to grab onto her but he was too far and only managed to swipe at a fistful of air before she plunged downwards, landing with an excruciatingly loud thud as her skull hit the ground while Sasuke's heart emitted a similar noise against his rib cage.

* * *

"Shush, you're causing too much noise."

"Are you seriously shushing me Neji? Are _you_ shushing _me_?"

"Be quiet!"

"She is still conked out, I won't wake her."

"I think I saw her move."

"You think? You _imagine_ a lot of things."

"Stop being ridiculous, sometimes, I don't understand anything that comes out of your mouth."

"Are you psychic? You stole those words right out of my head."

"Tenten, stop being hysterical and come look."

"Hysterical? Are you kidding me? When a woman is angry, she's being hysterical, but when a _man_ is angry, he's perfectly justified. Why I ought to –!"

"She's awake."

Hinata wasn't sure what was the first to wake her up, the two voices bickering away or the dull pounding of her head, but it was most likely the former. Still half-asleep, her mind tried piecing together the owners of the voices and then their faces and before long, the series of events from the moments before she passed out came rushing back to her at full force, making a slight groan escape between her lips.

"Hinata-sama, are you awake?" Neji asked, with what seemed like worry in his tone.

"Of course she's awake you dolt," Tenten snapped.

"Where… am I?" Hinata mumbled groggily.

"You're at the infirmary," Tenten replied. "Don't worry you're fine, doctor said you're going to make it!"

"Don't mislead her. Her injuries were only minor. Hinata-sama, the doctor said you only had a minor concussion. Your wrist… is broken, but not beyond repair," Neji voiced.

"B-Broken?" Hinata stammered, now noticing the hot itchiness of her left wrist. Slowly cracking open an eye, she saw a blue cast around her wrist.

"It'll be better in no time. Just don't go falling on it again," Tenten reassured her.

"Or, if Sasuke tries to push you over, dodge," Neji advised.

"P-Pushed?" Hinata was awake now. "I wasn't pushed."

"Maybe not on purpose," Neji said with a frown. "But don't worry, I made sure the nurses kept their mouths shut about it."

"I fell on accident!"

"Yeah, no way would Sasuke push her," Tenten agreed.

"Then, how exactly, did you end up falling backwards out of the door? The nurse said it looked like you were being chased," Neji remarked firmly.

"Well…" Hinata couldn't exactly think of a good answer, her head was still throbbing. "It's not what it looked like."

"Then what was it then?" Neji asked, his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest.

"Hey Neji, stop interrogating the poor girl, she's been unconscious for two days, give her a few moments to at least get her head straight!" Tenten exclaimed.

"You mean give her enough time to come up with a reasonable lie," Neji scowled.

"Wait… I've been unconscious for a whole day?" Hinata asked with horror. Not only had she missed the rest of her classes when on the day she had blacked out, but all her classes the day after too? She had only been sick not that long ago! A quick glance at one of the wall clocks told her it was already late in the afternoon; she really had been asleep for a whole day.

"Why, what's wrong?" Tenten asked with a worried look.

"I already asked one of your classmates to take notes for you," Neji said.

"Oh thank you," Hinata sighed a breath of relief, while Tenten looked confused as to why she would worry about school out of all things.

"Geez, for a second I thought it was something serious."

"Who did you ask?" Hinata asked.

"The top of your class naturally. What was her name again… the pink haired girl," Neji said.

"Sakura-chan," Hinata told him gloomily. Somehow, it didn't seem like she would be getting a peak at Sakura's notes.

Neji was soon about to continue with his interrogation about what had happened if Hinata did not yawn right when his questioning started, leading Tenten to stop him midsentence.

"We see you're very tired so we'll let you get some more sleep. The nurse said that you had to stay overnight so they can give you a check up in the morning – you know, to make sure you're not brain dead or something," Tenten told her with a nod. "C'mon Neji," she elbowed him in the side, herding him out the room.

After they had left, Hinata fell into a deep slumber once more. During her sleep, she heard the door open again and a pair of feet slowly shuffling across the room, but she was too tired to wonder who it was. The person pulled back the curtain and she could hear the sound of the bed nearby. It hadn't occurred to Hinata before that she would have a roommate with her, but once again, her hazy sleep kept her from waking to go find out.

She dreamt that she was a child again standing at the edge of her garden, staring at those Hyuuga walls that seemed infinitely larger due to her diminished size. The bright afternoon sun was dazzling and the sky so very clear and blue that it seemed like what she would imagine the ocean would look like – but, something was wrong. Even when surrounded by the bed of white camellias around her, a cold and eerie breeze was licking at her nape from behind. Hesitantly, Hinata turned to see what was behind her, and a cold sweat broke out when she came face to face with the wide opened doors of the Hyuuga castle, but there was nothing beyond the doors but pitch black darkness. The darkness seemed to take on an entity within itself, like a thick curling smoke the color of charcoal making movements that couldn't be seen.

Suddenly, a muffled sound could be heard within and out shot a small brown bird. Hinata's heart gave a jump at the sight and she watched the bird disappear behind the walls. Her attention returned to the murky darkness and if she held her breath, she thought she could hear thousands upon thousands of flapping wings until the sound grew so loud that she found herself waking from her dream gasping for breath.

Everything was eerily quiet in the room when she woke. It was night, but light trickled in through the lamps outside. Thirsty and needing to use the bathroom, Hinata slipped out of bed. When she returned, she remembered the footsteps of someone else in the room and went to peak a look at her roommate. Hinata slipped past the curtain to see a young pale girl sleeping in her bed. She was propped up in her bed and in her hands was a folded piece of emerald and gold paper and judging by the flood of paper cranes littered on the floor and on the end tables, she had fallen asleep in the middle of making one. Quietly, Hinata returned to her own bed to sleep without disturbing the sleeping child.

But she didn't get to sleep for long, not more than an hour later, a loud commotion woke her up again. Medical personnel were rushing back and forth in her room, all gravitating towards her neighbor's bed.

"She's not breathing!" one of the nurses from within the group exclaimed.

"The defibrillator isn't going to do anything now."

"Let her go," one voice said solemnly.

"Wh-What's going on?" Hinata asked in a small voice, but no one heard her.

"I'll get a cart to take her away," one of the nurses said and left quickly.

The group began to disperse, several of the nurses leaving save for a few and the doctor. One of them, a plump and older nurse, finally noticed Hinata in her bed.

"Oh did we wake you up dear?" she asked with a kind smile.

"What happened?" Hinata gulped. Her sleeping roommate continued to look asleep except a harsh ashen hue had taken over her face, ghastly contrasting with her golden straw brown hair.

"Oh, I'm afraid your roommate, Miss Yuri passed away tonight. Her heart suddenly stopped in the middle of the night."

Hinata gaped wide-eyed at the woman, completely stunned. The others were busy discussing something in low voices and ignored Hinata almost as if she weren't there. The cart soon came and they lifted the little girl's lifeless body onto it. A pale white hand dangled over the edge revealing thin frail wrists and short stubby fingers. Hinata shuddered, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the face that looked as if she was only sleeping peacefully, as if she would wake up any moment and break into a smile. Death, as Hinata imagined it, was supposed to involve images of flailing, bulging eyes and a tortured expression. It was not supposed to be almost quiet and graceful, like a softly spoken haiku.

The girl, the rest of the nurses and the doctor quickly left the room. One of the nurses asked if she wanted to switch rooms for her comfort, but Hinata refused. It was surreal to her that the girl died right next to her. Maybe she had already died when Hinata had seen her earlier. A chill ran down her spine as she glanced over at the now empty bed.

She immediately began to regret the decision to remain in the room a few minutes after everyone else had left and the lights were turned off again. The girl's ghost seemed to be present in the room and Hinata found herself trembling in the cold of the night. Hinata remembered that she had an ominous dream earlier, but it was impossible for her to conjure it up again.

Dying was frightening. What would it be like to not breathe, to not think, to not exist? Hinata wrapped her arms around her drawn in knees. In the murky darkness, she thought she heard a rustling noise and gasped, her heart skipping a beat. Scared, she wanted to get out of the room to find a nurse so she could transfer to a different one, or even better, to just go back to her room at the dormitory. Taking a few deep breaths, she listened again, but this time heard nothing.

"Just my imagination… or maybe it's the wind," Hinata whispered out loud to comfort herself and to dispel the heavy silence in the room.

But when she looked again, her heart lurched out of her throat while trying to scream, her voice coming out more like a garbled hiccup than a scream as she fell out of her bed in terror.

_Someone_ was at the window!

Hinata shook uncontrollably as she hid behind her bed, knowing with utmost certainty that the grim reaper or the girl's ghost had come back to claim her life as well. The window creaked open slowly until it was wide open; a chilly draft swept the room, which Hinata mistook for certain doom rather than the night air.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked.

"A-Are y-you a gh-gh-gh-ghost?" Hinata croaked, still hiding.

"Something like that," came the humorless reply.

Hinata suddenly stopped shaking and knit her brow in thought. She recognized that voice and that ridiculous habit of stating the impossible with grave seriousness.

"Gaara?" she called.

When no answer came, she lifted her head from behind the bed and saw Gaara digging through the drawers above the empty bed. His body, clad entirely in black this time was barely visible if it weren't for the lighting outside, but the sharp glass green eyes were unmistakable and vivid, even in the darkness.

"You… scared me," she said, never more relieved and surprised in her life. "I-I thought you were – well never mind… it's stupid."

"A ghost?" he offered, giving her a quick sidelong glance. The familiar smell of sand that filled the room told her that he wasn't a ghost, or at least, if he was, a very good imitation of the real person.

"So-Something like that," she said weakly. Though his lips couldn't have possibly moved, his pale green eyes flashed a little, giving the impression that he had smiled a little at her answer.

"Um… what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I needed some supplies," he replied, throwing down packets of white gauze onto the bed.

"Oh, for what?"

"Injuries."

"You're injured?"

"No."

"Are you going to be injured?" she wasn't sure why she asked such an odd question.

Gaara paused.

"Yes."

* * *

A/N: I just wanted to explain why Sasuke had his little freak out earlier there so people don't get the wrong impression. The reason he couldn't bring himself to ask Hinata about Itachi at first because he was simply afraid of finding out. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but he can't stand any feelings of betrayal and a part of him is paranoid that Hinata is plotting behind his back with Itachi. Paranoid and a little angry at himself for actually being scared of her answer, since their relationship had been improving, he snapped at her. Because even though he has trust issues, he does trust Hinata a little bit more than everyone else. However, he decides to ask her the second time around because of his false sense of security in seeing that she was hurt (and therefore, less likely to hurt him in return even though that makes no sense). Anyway, I just wanted to clear that up in case anyone was thinking it was because he was madly in love with Hinata or something haha (not yet guys… not yet). I don't like explaining things, but I felt it needed the explanation to be clear.

On another note, agh, I'll try to get the next chapter out as fast as I can. I apologize again for the delays. I know you guys are getting fed up with my slowness, but I tend to stumble on plot points. There's... A LOT going on with the story that I need to coherently put together all the while trying to shove some Sasuhina anywhere it'll fit.

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**Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated! C:**


	20. Unfulfilled Wishes and Salty Kisses

**Chapter 20 Unfulfilled Wishes and Salty Kisses**

White moonlight streamed through a clot of bruised black clouds. A lonely spotlight fell upon a pile of fallen paper cranes and Hinata's eyes, round like the moon, looked upon the Gaara's shadowy figure with a mixture of confusion and dread.

"Why did you say that you are going to be injured?" she asked, her voice startlingly clear in the silence of the night.

"Is that all you want to know? Why?" he asked, "Not what, when, where, how?" The slightest hint of a smile played upon his lips, so faint that she wasn't sure if it was just a trick of light and shadow.

"Of course I want to know those things too, but why did you say it like that? Like it couldn't be avoided and if it couldn't be avoided, why you would choose to tell me something like that," she said, her face puzzled and distressed. His sharp green eyes looked up from underneath a sweep of blood red fringe, making her heart tighten suddenly. She saw clearly, for the first time, the outline of a red scar on his forehead.

"Do you know who I am?" Gaara asked. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"No, I don't really know anything about you besides your name." Hinata gazed at the dark figure across from her. He was an enigmatic presence that never seemed to fully materialize, like a ghost halfway trapped between dreams and reality. She felt that if she were to walk over to him and touch his face, her fingers would simply go through him as if he was just a mirage created by the moonlight. Hinata had no idea why this thought occurred to her, but something about Gaara just didn't seem solid. He didn't seem grounded either, and she wondered if she was envious of him. At any moment, she felt that he could just fly away, so why kept appearing before her, she didn't really know. The things he said, she couldn't comprehend, and their words seemed to waltz to some moonlight sonata played upon a silent piano in some distant faraway place.

He took a deep breath before speaking, "Then, would you like to know?"

"I want to know," she found herself replying, inexplicably drawn to the boy's voice. He gave her a penetrating look, as if he disbelieved her words and decided to look into her mind for the real answer instead. After a moment, he seemed satisfied and began to speak.

"My earliest memory, the memory that would create the framework of my experiences, was painted in blood. I was playing in the garden, we had a greenhouse to be precise, and upon seeing a lovely red rose, I had reached out my hand and clutched tightly at the stem in hopes of retrieving the flower. The thorns immediately tore through my childish hand as easily as knives as I pulled at it. I soon stopped pulling when I noticed that dark red liquid had begun leaking from where I held the stem. I let go in surprise, not understanding the source of it. At first I thought the liquid had come from the flower and I was worried that I had done something I shouldn't have, that the red petals were turning to liquid, but then, I looked down at my hand, raised it up and saw that the liquid was actually coming from my own body. At the time, it was an astonishing discovery."

Gaara was looking down expressionlessly at the palm of his hand. It was smooth and pale and showed no sign of damage.

"Needless to say, the palm of my hand was bleeding profusely and I couldn't understand what it meant. But it fascinated me. I found it beautiful. I was like a desert exile that had suddenly come across an oasis. The blood kept flowing and flowing, overflowing until it dripped all over my shoes. I was so impressed with myself, I went to my older sister who was playing amongst the flowerbeds to show her what I had discovered, certain that she would be just as amazed and proud at what I had created, but as soon as she saw it, she immediately screamed and began to cry. At the time I didn't understand why she reacted that way, and I couldn't understand for a long time," Gaara told her. He blinked several times as he opened and closed the palm of his hand nostalgically.

"You couldn't feel it?" she asked, stunned.

"No. It felt wet, but pain, as you can see, was-and still is-a foreign concept to me. From that moment on, I had guards with me wherever I went. They were afraid I would hurt myself again, and their feelings were justified because I've had numerous injuries throughout my childhood."

Hinata recalled that eventful moment at the infirmary when she first came face to face with Gaara. So he couldn't feel it after all. She wondered what it was like, to never suffer from pain. She thought it would've been useful. Hinata was always scared of getting hurt one way or another.

"If you're thinking that it must be nice, to not know pain, you're wrong," Gaara said, examining her face as if all her thoughts were written on it. "I was robbed of my humanity, or perhaps, I never had any in the first place. Though it doesn't really matter now since either way, I was a danger to myself and later on, to others as well. I was isolated from everything and anything that was supposedly dangerous in the world. From that moment on, I had to be all alone."

"I'm sure they only wanted to protect you," Hinata tried reassuring him.

"That was hardly the case," he replied flatly. "Eventually, as I grew older, my father dismissed the guards. I was a thorn in his side and he honestly hoped I would one day get myself killed due to my lack of understanding of the danger. I said before that I had lost my humanity. That much was clear."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, staring at him wide-eyed.

Gaara gave her a subtle look signaling that he would get to it. He took a seat on the edge of the bed and plucked a crimson red crane, cradling it in the palm of his hand. For what seemed like a long time, he said nothing as he sunk deep into thought with a frown. His hooded green eyes gleamed under the wax and wane of moonlight like the shimmer of a silver fish cutting across a dark pond.

"Are you alright?" Hinata asked quietly, looking at the slumping silhouette of his shadowed figure. The moon had only illuminated part of his face and body and she could see one bright green eye look up at her.

But instead of answering her inquiry he returned to his narrative. "I began learning the piano before I knew how to speak. My mother was a pianist with an extensive musical heritage and she passed it onto all of her children. My father couldn't stand hearing me play. I suppose it reminded him of her too much, but he let me play, because it kept me out of trouble. It kept me mentally separated from the rest of the world. Because if I wasn't playing, my mind would be drawn back to the question of my existence and why it was so different from everyone else's. What is pain? What did it mean to have it or to not have it? These were things that no one had the courtesy of explaining to me. So, naturally I would try to find out on my own."

"As I said earlier, my life had been framed by the shedding of blood. At times it was my own, but more often than not, it was those of others. I found humans to be vulgar and ugly things. The way they screamed and cried when they were afraid, the way they lost all grip of reality and withdrew into themselves like a snail into its shell. I thought myself to be an entirely different species from them, a superior species, but without fail, when they bleed, their blood was the same shade of red as mine."

"I thought I was blessed to be born without knowing pain, but one way or another, pain isn't something humans could escape from. Because even though I didn't know physical pain, I was always alone, and that in itself caused me a different kind of pain that I couldn't get rid of. Eventually I did find a way to lessen that pain, and that was by sharing it. That kind of emotional and mental pain always has a price, and I didn't care who had to pay for it, as long as someone relieved me of its burden. Because I couldn't feel pain, I couldn't tell whether I was even alive and in a sense, I was envious of those people who I saw as insects waiting to be crushed. Suffering, it seems, is a never ending cycle that keeps expanding outwards, like the desert, it takes and takes but rarely gives anything back."

Hinata watched him with sorrowful eyes. She was stunned by his story and captivated by his words. The way he spoke, it was almost poetic and with every word, she could feel herself being submerged deeper in this desert that he embodied. "But... you're different now. You don't seem like..." her words trailed off uncertainly.

"You're right, I am different now. They sent me away, and when I came back, I found the world drastically changed-no it would be more accurate to say that _I've _drastically changed," he said and picked up the a half-finished golden paper crane that had fallen off the floor and slowly began folding it with the deft and neat movements of his fingers. It was the crane the girl had been holding the last time Hinata saw her.

"Did you change for the better?" she asked.

"Better for who?" he returned wryly, not looking up from his meticulous folding. When he finished with one, he would take another sheet from the bedside table and began folding all over again on his lap, his fingers tracing the glittering paper delicately as if he running his hand over ivory keys. Hinata wanted to hear him play piano someday.

"For you," she said. For some reason she felt like reaching out and holding still those moving fingers. Maybe that's how others must have felt when they see her fidgeting with her hands when she was nervous, but no one had ever done something like that for her. But Gaara was not nervous, he was simply doing origami, but still she felt that maybe she should offer some sort of consolation for him. Her chest felt heavy from the morbid turn of events and sitting here under moonlight's light caress, she wished that maybe time could just stop for a moment to watch him fold paper cranes for a little longer.

It was disarmingly relaxing.

"There are so many cranes," Hinata commented, looking at all the cranes on the floor.

"They're almost complete," he stated.

Hinata nodded, looking regretfully at the scatter of paper birds. There was a legend that if you folded a thousand paper cranes you would be granted one wish. A lump was forming in her throat when she realized that Yuri would never get her wish, even after diligently folding each crane in her sickness. Tired, she laid down upon her bed, watching in silence as Gaara finished what the little girl couldn't.

His head was lowered in concentration, his red fringe dangling and she saw that scar again, this time more clearly. A symbol of love carved into his skin. It piqued her curiosity, but she didn't dare ask him about it.

"Are you going to make a wish on those cranes?" she asked quietly, feeling her eyelids grow heavy with sleep.

"There's nothing I want to wish for."

"...wish that you won't get injured," she said with a quiet yawn, her eyes already closing.

"I wouldn't wish for something as impossible as that."

"I would," Hinata murmured drowsily. "I'd wish you to be better."

Hinata had drifted off into a peaceful slumber before she knew it and when she woke up, she found in the palm of her hand a single scarlet red crane lit up by the bright morning sun. She looked around for the red haired boy, but not surprisingly he was nowhere to be seen. Looking down at the crane that overflowed with his good intentions, she wished that nothing bad would happen to him, that he wouldn't be injured as he had predicted the night before.

It was still early in the morning and the sun had barely made its way past the horizon. She was exhausted, but she couldn't fall back asleep. Her broken wrist was hot and itchy in her cast and she couldn't help but wonder if Sasuke had ever come and visited her. Knowing his personality, he probably didn't. She had to talk to him about Itachi or else it would keep coming between them. Bracing herself for the uncomfortable task of facing him, she steeled her nerves and walked out of the infirmary.

Fog cascaded down upon Konoha Academy, keeping her from seeing anything more ten feet away, but her legs took her automatically back to the dormitory. She swung open the panel doors and saw Sasuke give her a look of complete surprise that mirrored her own at actually finding him there. He looked like he was just about to head out. His bag was slung over his shoulder, but now it slid gently back down onto the floor.

"Shouldn't you still resting be in the infirmary?" he said, gaping at her.

"I need to talk to you," she replied, taking a deep breath.

"What's with the crane?" he asked, looking at the crane in her hand in an attempt to change the topic.

Hinata put the crane down safely next to the small bonsai plant on her desk before turning back to Sasuke. Ignoring his question about the crane, she asked, "You wanted to know what Itachi and I talked about right?"

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," he replied, avoiding her gaze. "I don't care anymore."

"I used to know him," she blurted out. She walked around the room, agitated. "I used to... well I just used to know him and that's what we were talking about. We talked about swings and tea as well."

"Did he say anything else?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Yes," she replied reluctantly, wondering why he didn't ask her how she knew him or how they met. "But if I tell you, I won't be able to stay here anymore," she said. If Sasuke found out she was a girl, she would definitely have to leave, and there was no way she could tell him about Itachi's murder confession. She didn't want to see any more trouble between the two brothers.

"Then don't say anything," he said softly.

It was her turn to be surprised. She had never seen Sasuke so... melancholy and depressed before. Maybe he blamed himself for her arm, she thought. "My hand is fine by the way," she added.

Suddenly, he came closer to her and before she could register what was happening he pulled her into an embrace. She gasped, shocked by the sudden contact of their bodies. His arms wrapped tightly around her and she felt as if her heart was about burst out of her chest. The smell of night-time pines was overpoweringly fragrant. He had not slept in the room, she realized, but had been outside.

"I'm sorry," he quietly, his warm breath tickling her ear. She tensed up, uncomfortable, but at the same time, she didn't pull away either. She just held her breath and let him hold her, afraid of making even a single movement. A million thoughts were racing through her mind but she couldn't get a grasp on a single one of them. All she felt was her own disbelief at Sasuke willingly holding her and the coldness of her body turning into a block of ice in order to defend against his warmth. Sensing her discomfort he loosened his grip and slowly moved away from her, putting enough distance so that she could finally breathe again. Her face was no longer red, but sickeningly pale

Terrified by some powerful gnawing emotion welling up inside of her, she cast her gaze fixedly downwards. Sasuke just stood there as if he was waiting for her to finally see him, to see the _real_ him, but she was scared, not so much in what she would see but in how she would feel upon seeing the vulnerable and exposed expression on his face, eyes tinged with sadness, with guilt and regret, and with something else that was yet unidentifiable to her. Seeing it would set fire to her heart and burn it down to ashes. She was afraid, deathly afraid. Her whole body trembled like the uneasy fluttering of butterflies in her stomach.

She had no idea how long the two of them stood there. Time seemed to drag on like a slow and torturous death.

"I'm going out," he finally said, his voice so deep and low that it was nothing more than a vibration of his throat. "You should take it easy," he murmured, the pain of rejection evident in his voice as he walked past her out the door. The backs of their hands briefly brushed against one another as he walked past her, and her hand jolted away on reflex. Sasuke pretended not to notice the reaction and left the room, the door snapping shut behind him.

And no matter how hard she had tried to protect herself, in the end, her heart was nothing more than a pile ashes as his footsteps receded into the distance.

Suffering was a never ending cycle. Hinata collapsed onto the floor, her legs giving out from beneath her. As she raised her head and ran her eyes across the empty room, she spotted her notebook lying dejectedly on her pillow waiting for her like a long forgotten gift.

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Somehow... he just didn't know what to think. He rubbed the back of his hand as if there there was a bruise there and wondered what the hell had happened.

_What the hell did I do?_

He tried to ignore the persistent tightness of his chest as he jogged off into the fog, not really knowing where he was going but that he had to go somewhere that was far, far away from _her_. It was another cold morning and he gulped down icy breaths of air as he tried to calm down his twisting heart. He came upon a bench and sat down in order to clear his head.

He didn't mean to do it, to suddenly embrace her like that. It just happened. He had been thinking about her constantly since the day she got hurt because of him. He had loitered outside of the infirmary, debating over and over again in his mind whether he should go in and visit her. He had practiced in his mind a thousand times what he would say when they saw each other again, how he would apologize for hurting her and how he didn't really need to know what Itachi and her had said to each other. But like a stack of dominoes, one plan after another collapsed until he found himself with no ideas left and Hinata in his arms. Instinct had taken over and at first it seemed like the right thing to do, but it was only when she felt him stiffen uncomfortably in his embrace did he realize that he had really _fucked up_ big time.

He had no idea what had gone through his head. This wasn't what he was like. He wasn't a hormonal wreck of a teenager like everyone else at school. Unlike them, he had _self-control_. He did not just go around touching people carelessly and he most certainly did not freak out over it.

Hinata was to blame.

Conniving and manipulative, that's what she was. Just like all the other girls. They act one way, but when push came to shove, they always turn away as if they had never wanted it in the first place. He felt the bitter sting of betrayal once again as he buried his face in his hands

But it wasn't her fault, another part of his brain tried to tell him. _It's not her fault if she's repulsed by a fuckup like you. Did you see her? She acted like you were some ugly slug crawling all over her. For God's sake, she was fucking shaking like a leaf as if you were about to violate her! _

Sasuke was upset. There was no denying it, even to himself. "I'm going fucking insane!" he growled under his breath.

He stayed out there for a long time until the fog cleared, and then he returned to his room. For some reason, he still wanted to see Hinata. He wanted to see her suffer, to see her blush and look away, horrified that he had returned so soon, but when he returned she was no longer there. Spending the whole day there, completely forgetting about anything else he had planned earlier, he waited for her anxiously, staring at the door and then berating himself for being so nervous.

His eye caught on the deep blood red crane sitting on her desk. It leaned against the pot of the bonsai tree that he made sure to water in Hinata's absence. He walked over to her desk and picked it up with a frown, examining its perfect symmetry and straight sharp lines folded with deadly accuracy. Sasuke wasn't sure why he was suddenly so focused on the crane, but something about its presence bothered him. He could tell by the way she held it tenderly in her hand as if it were a real bird that it was a gift from someone. The crane annoyed him so he put it back down on the desk. That awful red color was an eyesore.

His ruminations on the crane came to a halt when he heard the sound of the door sliding open. Upon seeing her standing there at the doorway, a strand of black hair straying over those iridescent eyes, his plan of harassing was immediately forgotten.

"I'm sorry Sasuke," she said, her voice sincere.

"Sorry for what," he snapped, animosity building his voice as he turned to her. He knew that he shouldn't have used such an angry tone, but his irritation, the color of the red crane, seeped into his mind and he couldn't shake it off. She backed away a little, afraid, so he continued to approach her, enjoying the way she was shrinking from him.

"Um..." she said, blinking rapidly and avoiding his gaze. When she hit the back of a wall, she finally looked up at him with distraught eyes. "I'm sorry for being a coward," she said timidly.

"Do you hate me?" he asked with a frown.

She shook her head.

"Do you dislike me then?"

Again, she shook her head.

"Then do you like me?" he found himself asking without thinking. After he said it, he found himself dreading her answer.

She pinkened and after an excruciatingly long time, she finally nodded slowly. He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath so when he finally exhaled with relief, it surprised him. His heart leapt as he saw her downcast eyes glancing up at him meaningfully. The pink stain of her blush complimented the paleness of her skin like cherry blossom petals scattered over a bath of milk. Sasuke had seen her blush many times before from being overly sensitive to just about everything, but it had never occurred to him that it made her prettier.

When had she ceased being that awkward fumbling girl when she first got here and turned into _this._ He didn't know what exactly _this_ was, but he couldn't understand her or penetrate through her expressions into her private thoughts anymore. Sasuke couldn't tell if it was his fault or hers, but he cursed himself for being so affected. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her small pink tongue wet her lips. There was no way anyone could blame him for what he was about to do next.

He kissed her.

She let out a cute muffled noise of surprise when he did and he couldn't help but smile upon hearing it. Her face was slightly damp and her skin and mouth a bit salty with the trace of recently shed tears, but she tasted sweet and smelled intoxicatingly like herself. Unlike earlier, she did not freeze when he put his arms around her waist, instead he could feel her hand feebly grabbing onto the bottom of his shirt, his heart suddenly taking a dive when she kissed him back. He used this chance to slip in some tongue, electricity shooting down his spine. Abruptly, she turned away, breaking the kiss. Her face was bright pink and her bottom lip was quivering so much that he wanted to kiss her again.

"I-I'm a boy..." she muttered almost inaudibly. They were out of breath and he was getting sick of hearing her use that excuse. He didn't care what would happen after the fragile house of cards the two had slowly been building comes crashing down, he didn't want to pretend anymore.

"You're not," he said, his voice surprisingly hoarse.

"What?" she asked, looking up at him with those wide doe eyes.

"Even if you don't remember me, I'll always remember you... _Hinata_."

"You knew!" she gasped, but then she didn't end up looking so surprised and she shouldn't have been; he had left her plenty of hints.

"I knew since the first day it was you."

She blushed, and then shyly looking up at him asked, "D-Do you like me?"

Now it was his turn to be embarrassed. He flushed uncharacteristically. "Idiot, why would I kiss you if I didn't?" She smiled and then began to laugh. He turned a deeper shade of red and frowned. "What's so funny?"

"I've just never seen that look on your face!" she said giggling uncontrollably.

"I'm going to have to ask you to stop laughing," he scowled, though he liked the way she laughed, the way she tried to restrain herself but couldn't, as if her joy was bigger than she was and couldn't be contained.

"I can't!" she hiccuped a little from laughing.

"Then I'll just have to make you," he smirked and pressed her lips to her laughing mouth, this time he kissed her hard using his tongue, addicted to taste of her warm flesh. Her scent was making him light-headed. Something warm was building up inside of his stomach and making all his nerves tingle. Her shirt had hitched up slightly and his thumb brushed against the curiously soft skin exposed on her waist. She tensed beneath him and at first this pleased him, but then he felt her hands pushing him away.

"Stop," she said breathily, breaking the kiss again. She looked at him nervously, a hint of fear in her eyes and he immediately regretted being so forceful.

"Sorry," he murmured. He had been doing that a lot lately, apologizing to her.

"I think... I'm going to go take a walk outside," she said with a disturbed expression on her face. Her brow knitted anxiously as she began fidgeting with her hands again. She slipped away from him. "I'll be back later."

"I'll go with you," he offered.

"I-I'd rather go alone," she quickly interjected. "I think we both need some time... to think," she said biting down on her bottom lip nervously. Sasuke looked at her as a stabbing pain twisted in his chest. He didn't want her to go because he felt that she could change her mind about liking him at any second. She should stay; he wanted her near him so could track her feelings for him on her face and be assured that she really wouldn't have a change of heart.

However he let her go because she was right. They did need some time alone to think about what had happened, to process all this new information overloading their systems and figure out the direction of their relationship and what step to take next.

He thought the answer should be obvious, but it wasn't as obvious to her as it was to him and that hurt.

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**A/N:** Holy garbanzo beans, it's been awhile since I've updated and I was thinking of abandoning this forever but I decided not to. MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES. So how long have y'all waited for them to kiss? Some of you are probably like _FINALLYYYYY_. Yeah me too. A happy moment with a bittersweet end because of all of Hinata's issues. I hope Sasuke didn't seem so OOC. He's (contrary to his belief) a hormonal wreck of a teenager stumbling blindly through the very foreign feelings of attraction... so he's a little messed up and confused right now.

Also I have few things I wanted to talk about: (sorry i know it's tldr, skip if you want it will be deleted by next update anyway)

1) The rating might change to M later and I'm sorry if that might offend anyone. It's not going to suddenly get all pr0nz on y'all (mercy on anyone that actually starts this fic for smut/lemon because nothing happens for a loong time) but you know... they're teenagers and they got _needs_ (looking at you Sasuke). There will _most likely_ be some sex scenes in the future, which brings me to item #2.

2) This fic is going to be long, like really long (which is why sometimes there's too much pressure and I skip out of town for awhile to avoid writing) so... yeah... sigh.

3) Might be looking for a beta reader because... no matter how many times I check (once or twice) I still end up with typos... orz.

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**As always, leave me a review! Questions, comments, constructive criticisms, lavish praises, flaming hatred for disappearing... (maybe not so much the last one though) are all welcome.**


	21. Unsaid but not Forgotten

A/N: A quick release. :)

**Chapter 21 Unsaid but not Forgotten**

The overflowing heat from her cheeks was a stark contrast to the cold night air. She stood in front of the dormitory, her breath coming out in lines of smoke as she tried to process everything that had just happened. Sasuke had kissed her, and she had _let_ him, even kissed him back. She pressed her fingers upon her lips, stunned. When she had been caught up in the heat of the moment, logic and reason heartlessly abandoned her, leaving her alone with a swirling whirlpool of emotions that threatened to overflow. But now, given some space and time, a million different thoughts ran through her head. They weaved and tangled like coiling wires until she couldn't figure out where one thought ended and the next began.

_Then do you like me? _Those black iron eyes bore her down into dust, and then his words blew her away.

She had nodded, but now she wanted to take it back. How could she like him? She didn't even know him. Who was Uchiha Sasuke? There was nothing she knew about him. She only felt it, the undeniable magnet of attraction that at the very last minute had pulled a little too hard.

To think that he liked her. It was absurd. She told herself that it was guilt mistaken for affection, a moment of self-delusion stemmed from loneliness. Perhaps the world had suddenly fallen off kilter and was now hurling towards the sun in a frenzied pirouette because feelings were nothing more than just another word for a momentary madness. Reclaiming the cold logic of the Hyuuga clan, she tried to steady herself. The pendulum of wavering emotions, at one moment at the height of joy only to come crashing down into despair in the next, was forced into equilibrium by her overpowering bloodright.

This simply cannot go on.

She returned to the dormitory with controlled even steps, the heiress inside of her revealing herself only in times of need, and slid the door to her room open. Sasuke was sitting at his desk, startled from the newspaper he had been reading from her sudden reappearance. For a moment, she paused at the doorway and gave him a long look. How could he just be reading so casually after such a cataclysmic event?

"We should talk now," she said as rigidly as she could, trying her best to keep her heart rate under control.

His narrowed dark eyes scrutinized her pale ones. "Fine. Talk then," he relented.

"I want to hear what you think first," she said, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

"What I think? You actually care about what I think? _Shocking_," he said sarcastically. His eyes turned upon her, resentful and defensive. She did not understand why he seemed so upset.

"Of course I do," she said with a frown.

Another long pause. He was thinking, but she couldn't sure of what.

"I want to stay with you." Her eyes widened; she had not been prepared for such words. Cracks began to develop in the wall she had put up. "Don't look so surprised," he grumbled. "I only said that because I know that you probably want to change rooms."

"Do you want to return to being just roommates? I don't know if that's a good idea."

"I don't think we can be _just_ roommates," he replied dryly. "What are you afraid of, that I'll attack you in the middle of night?" he asked scornfully.

"You have before," she pointed out.

"What? When?" he asked in disbelief.

"You climbed into my bed once remember?" she reminded him, embarrassed by the simple recollection of that night.

"That was an accident and I was only sleeping. It's not like I did anything to you," Sasuke argued, but then he smirked. "Unless you wanted me to."

"I-I didn't!" she exclaimed, flustered. "I-I mean... with things like touching and stuff, at least ask first," she said as sternly as she could. With a shudder, Hinata remembered the way his finger trailed over her bare skin when they had kissed. The kisses themselves were already too much for her to handle, but then they started change directions into something else and she had to put a stop to it. He had been slowly pulling her deeper into the bottomless pit of no return, his caresses coaxing her into giving him something she didn't have.

He regarded her for a long time, watching the minute changes on her countenance, and then he let out a harsh peal of laughter and shook his head. "I'm not the gentleman type."

"I'm aware," she said, not meaning to make it to sound so resentful, but Sasuke immediately flared up.

"I'm sorry I'm not _Kiba-kun_," he retorted darkly.

She gaped at him, taken aback by the sudden mention of her friend. "Why are you talking about Kiba-kun? He doesn't have anything to do with this!"

"_Oh really,_" he said dryly, his eyes brimming with contempt.

"Sasuke why are you getting so mad?"

"I'm not mad! I just don't understand why this is so hard for you."

"So it's easy for you?" Hinata asked with a frown.

"We should just do whatever we feel like doing. Fuck what other people think!" he gesticulated angrily, suddenly standing up to make his point clear. He glared down at her.

"I'm the Hyuuga heiress," she said bitterly. "There are rules. I can't just do anything I want."

"Yes, I _completely forgot_," he said sarcastically, throwing his hands up. "Well _princess _do you like me or not because I don't want to play this game with you anymore."

"I am not playing any games! I'm being serious here!" Moisture of frustration began to gather in the edge of her eyes. She was glad that she was on the first floor rooms or else their neighbors probably would've heard them arguing.

His expression immediately softened upon seeing that she was upset. "Let's just get some sleep for now," he said, turning off the lights. He headed to bed and threw the covers over himself, showing her his back. "We can talk about it when you're ready."

_When you're ready_. So he was insinuating that all the problems were on her side. She resented that, but she knew that she was the one who couldn't make up her mind while Sasuke had made his position perfectly clear. Her conviction to forget everything couldn't stand up to his conviction to not. It was like fighting a swordsman with a twig, her resolve snapped in half before she could even get across her point.

There were too many things to consider. What about her disguise? What will happen when her father arranges her to marry someone? What if someone found out? What about Itachi and the relationship between the two clans? What would she tell her family and friends? Would they be boyfriend and girlfriend or something else? If they were dating, would they have to keep a secret forever? Did she even _want to_ _date_ Sasuke in the first place? Was he _worth_ the risk that this was all putting her through? Her head swam and as she laid her head down onto her pillow.

A part of her wanted to throw caution to the wind, but the invisible strings of the Hyuuga wrapped around her so tightly she felt that if she struggled any harder against them they would shred her to pieces. And for a moment, her whole body went cold when she wondered who it was she should actually be fighting against. As quickly as the thought had come, she suffocated it, her heiress hands pushing it back into the deep waters of her subconscious until it drowned and floated back down.

"Sasuke," she said quietly in the dark.

"What?" he uttered.

"Let's just forget today ever happened. It would be easier that way," she told him, trying to sound absolute in her resolve.

A long lull of silence.

"Just like you did last time?" he asked, his voice not angry, but solemn and dejected.

"E-Excuse me?"

"Fine whatever. Consider it forgotten."

Sometime during the night, Sasuke had fallen asleep while Hinata spent the rest of the night tossing and turning in her bed, and when morning broke across the horizon, she had achieved nothing but dull sleeplessness. Before Sasuke awoke, she slipped out of bed and locked herself into her bathroom for a long warm bath. She tried not to think about last night, but there was a heaviness in her chest that she couldn't ignore so she just bandaged her chest tighter to hide everything away once again.

When she got out of the bath, buttresses of white light filtered in through the windows, creating a slanted barred fence between her side of the room and Sasuke's. She was astonished to find him still asleep. His pillowed head was tilted towards her and a peaceful expression graced his resting face. However, it was getting late in the day and school was going to start soon. She wondered if she had the courage to wake him up as she crossed through the sheaths of light to his side of the room.

"Sasuke, it's almost time for school," she said, but her voice wasn't strong enough to rouse him. She slowly extended her hand out and gently shook his arm. The fabric of his shirt was soft to the touch and his body was wonderfully warm.

His lashes began to twitch and before she could escape he caught her hand in his as his eyelids flickered open. Unfocused eyes looked at her from somewhere far away deep inside, and gradually they got closer until she could clearly see her own image reflected in those those dark inkwells. Nostalgic sentiment got the best of her; recalling that night where he searched for her hand amongst nightmares, and she didn't pull away. Her chest tightened again.

"You overslept," she said, the words barely making it out of her throat.

He exhaled a long breath she didn't realize he had been holding in. "So I can't attack you but you can attack me?" he said with a faint smile, his voice heavy with sleep. She blushed and immediately retracted her hand from his.

"I was only trying to wake you," she said, turning away and leaving his bedside to cross the light back to her side of the room. "You should come to school today. Nara-san has been asking for you." She busied herself with putting her items in her bag, the last being the notebook that Sasuke had retrieved for her.

"Hmm," he made a soft humming noise that suggested he'd think about it.

"I'm going to get breakfast," she told him before heading out the door. When she glanced back, he had still not moved from his languorous position on his bed.

After an uneventful breakfast of miso soup and rice with Neji and Tenten (who were bickering as usual), Hinata went to class. A few of her classmates wanted to sign her blue cast. Apparently it was supposed to aide in the healing process of her broken wrist, another piece of information she had never heard of before. The class was particularly loud this morning with the Spring Festival fast approaching and with the pressure building up, groups were scrambling at the last minute to put together preparations that should've been done weeks ago. A few minutes before class officially started, their group gathered into a small circle in the corner of the room. Hinata found herself sitting next to Kiba. He kept sneaking glances at her and Hinata couldn't understand why.

"Look at them," Naruto said clicking his tongue at the rest of the class. "They really should've done their work earlier."

"You're one to talk Naruto," Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You don't even have your lines memorized. Not to mention, we still don't have the mirror frame that _you said_ that you would provide last week."

"Hey, do you know how hard it is to find the perfect frame for a magic mirror? It's not easy," Naruto argued. "What about you? You were supposed to make print outs of the posters but we don't see any of those do we?"

"Stop arguing you two," Ino snapped. "At the very least, let's just have rehearsal today. Sakura is a little late because she's bringing in the costumes. I hope you guys like it. We stayed up all night on the weekend to get them done."

"Yeah, but where's Sasuke?" Kiba asked. "If he never comes to class, we might have to do the play without him." As if right on cue, Sasuke came through the doors, though Kiba hadn't noticed him until Sasuke was standing right behind him.

"I bet you'd like that," Sasuke sneered. Kiba flinched in his chair, whipping around.

"I thought I smelled something foul," Kiba snapped back, baring his fangs at the unamused boy.

"Anyway, enough fighting. As soon as Sakura gets here, we'll go rehearse. For now, let's just go over your lines. Everyone pull out your scripts."

"Wow," Naruto said, grabbing Hinata's script as soon as she pulled it out. "You have notes in it and everything!" he flipped through the pages, finding the small notes next to her lines where she marked where she should intonate and what kind of gestures should be performed.

"Have you acted before?" he asked.

"N-No..." Hinata said, but she had seen plenty of traditional Japanese stages. The Hyuuga were big fans of Noh theater, though Noh was nothing like the play they were going to be putting on.

Sakura showed up a few minutes later, her hands filled with different old shopping bags stuffed to the brim with clothes, proudly announcing that the costumes were ready. With the whole group there, they moved their meeting to the backstage room of the theater where they would be performing. Kakashi, who was lazily flipping through his erotica, took no notice of them when they left the class. The backstage room was large and stored with many boxes filled with various props that were used by the theater club and in the corner was a red curtained dressing room.

"I'll go first," Sakura said, taking her several bags into the dressing room while the rest of them sat on the furniture props littered throughout the room. It was silent at first until Sakura started yelling, "Don't just sit around listening to me change! Talk amongst yourself or something!"

Like clockwork, eyes turned away from the curtains and found other things to focus on.

"Did you memorize your script?" Kiba asked her.

"I hope so," she said, fingering the fringed edges of her script. "What about you Kiba?"

"I don't have very many, so I'm pretty sure I got it down," he grinned. "By the way, how is your wrist?"

"Itchy," she replied with a small smile.

"It doesn't hurt does it?"

"Only barely. I don't really notice it," she lied. It actually did hurt since she hadn't taken any medication for it. Just lifting her arm too quickly would make her mind go blank from pain, but she was careful and she was getting used to it.

Finally, Sakura whipped the curtains back and stepped out in a flowing dress of pink organza. Cherry blossoms filled the upper part of her swooped bodice and little shining jewels dotted the skirt. She twirled around dramatically, proud of her handiwork.

"How is it?" she asked, beaming.

"Amazing!" Naruto called out.

"Pretty!" Ino chimed in, "but the color makes your face look like a tomato."

Sakura ignored their comments and instead directed her attention towards the one she cared about hte most. "What do you think Sasuke?" Sakura asked, looking at the brooding figure of the boy shyly.

"You look stupid. There's too much pink," he answered. Sakura's smile and good mood dissipated immediately.

"I guess all the pink is a bit overboard, since it's the same shade as my hair..."

"Ignore him Sakura-chan," Naruto said, glaring at Sasuke. "He couldn't appreciate color in Oz."

Ino was next and she came out in a white dress. Unlike the revealing top of Sakura's dress, hers had lace sleeves on them and had a higher neckline to portray the picture of a modest princess. The dress was nowhere near as intricate as Sakura's, but Hinata still thought she looked lovely in white. One could only imagine how time-consuming it must've been to actually create these costumes.

"Okay time for the boys, who wants to go first?" Sakura asked excitedly. "How about you Sasuke?" she said, handing him a bag.

Unamused but relenting anyway, Sasuke walked into the dressing room to change, snapping the curtain closed. A few curses could be heard from within. Moments later, the curtains were drawn back and Sakura and Ino burst into high pitch squeals of excitement. There was only one thing Hinata could see, and that was _a lot_ of skin. Sasuke was clad in all black except for a red cloth that tied around his waist. The shirt he wore was loose with long sleeves, which would've been fine if the V-neck neckline didn't take a sudden suicidal dip past his abdomen, revealing for all to see his painfully well defined upper body. Sakura and Ino were practically slobbering onto his chest as they came up close to get a better look. Even Hinata found her eyes lingering longer than they should've and she mentally kicked herself for it and turned away to keep her cheeks from getting any pinker than they were. Sasuke gave them all a deep scowl, pulling at the collars in a futile attempt to cover up.

"I'm supposed to be a prince, not a pirate," he grumbled, irritation stitching itself between his brow. Hinata hoped to the heavens that they would not ask her to wear a shirt like that.

"Yeah, like we're really aiming for accuracy while doing this play," Shikamaru said rolling his eyes. "Let's move it along. Who's next?"

"I want to go next!" Naruto said.

"You don't have a costume you dolt. You're just going to be standing in the mirror with face paint and some black clothes," Sakura reminded him. Naruto pouted, crossing his arms childishly.

"I'll go next," Kiba said climbing to his feet.

Sasuke promptly replaced Kiba's newly vacant seat next to Hinata. Heat was emanating between the small divide that kept their arms from touching, and Hinata fidgeted nervously, playing with the hem of her sleeve. She tried her best not to glance in his direction, lest she get an eyeful of bare skin. Kiba came out a few minutes later with a brown shirt that was also indecently low, revealing his tanned body that was just as muscular, if not more so than Sasuke's. Her face reddened when she saw how much the pirate look suited his features and his build. The two other girls gave out catcalls while Kiba, embarrassed, was yelling at them to be quiet.

"Don't _drool_," Hinata heard Sasuke say in a low sardonic voice next to her. She shot him an offended look, but immediately had to look away when she realized he was only provoking her. Sasuke had decided to let one shoulder of his shirt slip and from her angle and position and there was nothing left to the imagination as far as his upper body was concerned. Her face burned and she quickly looked away while Sasuke laughed under his breath at her reaction.

"Hikaru you're next!" Ino said tossing her package of clothes at her. She was dreading having to change, seeing a very definite pattern in the male clothes, but she was relieved to get away from Sasuke. There was a single full body mirror inside the changing room and a few hooks for her to hang her clothes. She quickly shed her layers, four of them, and took out the clothes from the bag. There were three items, a white shirt, a purple vest, and black pants. She put the pants on first, noticing how incredibly small they were. They squeezed tightly over her butt and thighs even though she knew she had become almost fashionably thin due to the stress of attending school. The white shirt, luckily, was low enough to partially cover her behind, but like the other shirts, it had loose sleeves and a dramatically low neckline that revealed the poorly hidden lumps of her bound chest. Much to her relief, the purple vest buttoned up and hid the exposed parts of her shirt and was made of a stiff enough material not to cling to her body. She could've run out and hugged Sakura, thanking her silently for the vest. The only problem was that the buttons looked a flimsy.

After dressing, she examined herself in the mirror. Overall, she was satisfied that there were no noticeable sign of her breasts when she turned to the side, but she looked disastrously feminine. The curve of her hips and legs were revealed and so were her small shoulders and thin neck. She fussed around with her hair, wondering if there was any way she could look less like a girl, but some complaints from beyond the curtain left her no time to make any changes. Self-consciously, she gathered and folded the clothes she had been wearing and slowly came out, holding her other clothes to her chest in an unsuccessful attempt at hiding her girly hips. The girls broke out into a fit of giggles, complimenting her on her figure.

"Wow you look..." Naruto trailed off in an attempt to find a compliment. "Different!" Hinata's eyes dropped to the floor, cheeks turning red again.

"Put your clothes down so we can see," Sakura complained. Hinata gave the pink haired girl an exasperated look, but placed her folded up clothes on the table.

"Looks good Hikaru," Ino said, giving her the thumbs up and a very wide smile.

"You're really..." Kiba said, a bit flustered, "_small_."

"Kiba!" Naruto said, jabbing him with his elbow. "You can't tell a guy he looks _small_."

"Um... it's okay I know," Hinata said, wanting to die from embarrassment. She glanced at Sasuke and she turned and even deeper shade of red when she saw the way his eyes were leisurely travelling over her body. Horrified that she was drawing this much attention she quickly went back to her seat, holding her previous garments close to her.

"Okay now that we're done with the _fashion show_," Shikamaru said with a tired sigh. "Let's actually get on with the rehearsal. We don't have _forever_ until we actually have to perform this play."

Everyone picked up their scripts and got into position. Shikamaru narrated the beginning with his usual irritated tone before Hinata and Ino stepped onto the scene. They circled each other like the awkward couple they were playing, reading out their lines before taking a seat at the makeshift table to pretend to eat dinner.

"You did surprisingly well," Shikamaru said, looking mildly surprised at Hinata's acting. "Okay next scene. C'mon guys let's move it along," he said, giving his director's chair a few thwacks with his rolled up script. Naruto and Kiba came onto their makeshift stage to change the setting while Sakura and Ino prepared for their scenes.

Hinata was watching from afar when she suddenly felt Sasuke stand too closely behind her. "These clothes look much better on you than your regular ones," he said in a deep murmur. Red crept across her cheeks once again so she moved away a few steps to gain some distance, ignoring his comment.

"Have you learned your lines yet?" she asked, trying to get him to stop gawking at her legs.

"I have."

"Then you don't mind if I test you?" she asked, sneaking a glance at him. He smirked.

"Go ahead."

"_Why did you kiss me?_" she asked, the first line she would say once the Dark Prince awakens her from her enchanted slumber.

He smiled smugly. "You're not fooling anyone."

"That's not the line," she told him.

He shrugged and played along, rehearsing his line, "_I had to._"

"_Explain yourself_."

"_Like always, I've found something I couldn't have, but now you're mine_," he said his gazing eyes so darkly serious that she had to look away. Her heart skipped a few beats and she inwardly scolded herself for letting him get under her skin.

"You're mistaken. That's not the line."

"What's the line then?"

"_Like always, I've done something I shouldn't have, and now you're mine_," she told him, flustered. The last lines were meant to sound like the Dark Prince had no choice but to take responsibility for the sleeping Snow Prince. It wasn't meant to sound romantic and possessive.

"I guess I haven't learned yet," he replied with a knowing look and she wondered if he was referring to the script or something else.

Suddenly she could feel his fingers run up the small of her back, and she immediately flinched away, hairs standing on end. He looked down at her with his slow-burning charcoal eyes, offering no explanation for his behavior. A silence of charged meaning encased them, creating a separate world where only they two existed apart from everyone else. Their small bubble filled up with things unsaid but not forgotten.

"What are you doing?" she asked, giving him a sharp look. She looked around to make sure that everyone else was still absorbed in the rehearsal before returning her attention to the troublemaking boy.

"Does it bother you?" he asked, leaning in closer to her. Her face colored again at the low droop of his shirt where she could see his completely exposed chest.

"It d-does," she stammered, backing away.

"_Good,_" he said with a simply wolfish grin. "Two can play this game _princess_."

Hinata looked at him, eyes widening at first and then narrowing. "This isn't a game."

"It _is_ a game and I hate losing."

"I'm not playing," she said, annoyed at him.

"Are you forfeiting then? Don't you know the saying _to the victor go the spoils_?"

"I'm not forfeiting anything. I don't even know what kind of game you're talking about," Hinata was completely taken aback by the whole situation and had no idea what was possibly going through Sasuke's mind. He was acting completely strange and out of character.

"A battle of wills. Either you give in to me, or I give in to you. I know that I said I would consider last night forgotten, but I decided to change my mind."

"Why?" Hinata asked.

"I don't want to be forgotten again," he said firmly. Hardened eyes of black onyx conveyed that what he had in mind was much more serious than his words suggested. If it was a game, it was a dangerous one that gambled with their futures.

The pendulum began to swing again, and this time it would not reach equilibrium again until everything was lost.

* * *

In the dark dusty filing cabinets in the RA's office, Hyuuga Neji was busily going through stacks and stacks of manilla folders. The RA in question was passed out drunk outside after Neji offered an easy bribe of beers. Six beers later, Neji had full access to all the information he needed in regards to the roommate situation. He had filled in a request two weeks ago for a room change, but found that it got rejected and now he needed to know why. He flipped through the old files in search of the original request that had come in before Hinata had even arrived at the school.

That's weird, Neji thought when he saw that the original request for the two cousins to room together had been accepted. He looked through the next few manilla folders for later dates until he stumbled onto something shocking. Marked a single day after the first request had gone through was another request for a roommate switch that was not made under the Hyuuga name.

"_Uchiha Itachi_," Neji said through clenched jaws. What the hell was the older Uchiha planning? There was nothing else written on the request form except Hinata and Sasuke's name. The reason for the switch was left blank but a large red stamp with the word "ACCEPTED" was stamped onto the page.

Neji slipped the papers back into the folders and put them back into the cabinets. Disturbed, he decided that he would have to approach Itachi. He couldn't help but feel that the Uchiha brothers were plotting something against them. Leaving the office, he walked over to the administration building. Rumors were circulating over the missing older Uchiha. After the first day of class, he had simply disappeared. No one had seen him since the famous fight between the brothers.

"Uchiha-sensei?" the woman at the front desk of the administration office asked. "I'm sorry, he is temporarily away for personal reasons."

"What reasons?" Neji asked curiously.

"It doesn't say, but it is related to his law enforcement work."

"Do you know where can I find him? There's an urgent matter that I have to discuss with him."

"He still lives on campus, I can write out his address for you if you like."

"Thank you. That would be immensely helpful," he said, showing the woman a smile. She tinged red and quickly started to print out the address written on in her files. He strategically allowed their fingers brush against each other when she handed over the piece of paper.

"Oh, and just to be clear. This will be a secret between just the two of us," he added.

"Of course," she said with a bright smile.

Neji nodded towards her and made his way out of the building, glad that his training on information collecting had paid off. Some people needed bribes, others only needed a little attention. While all the other students spent their holidays having fun or lazing around at home, Neji had been preparing to become the perfect shadow leader of the Hyuuga clan. Hinata would technically rule as the clan's figurehead, but he would be the one pulling the strings in the future. _He was going to make sure of that_. His weak younger cousin could not possibly run the clan on her own, and for that reason he worked extra hard to make sure he could run it for her.

He had not recognized the address on the sheet, but as he approached the house, he began to realize exactly where he was. Located on the outskirts of the school, a traditional three story building sat alone away from the world, hidden amongst a dense cluster of trees. It was a building that had been abandoned until only a year ago.

_Strange_.

The address given was the home to the one and only _Sabaku no Gaara_ and his two siblings. The eerie sound of wind chimes played a melody as an ominous wind passed through. Why in the world, Neji wondered, did Itachi's address lead him here of all places? However, Neji was not someone who scared easily so he pressed on, knocking on the doors. When no answer came, he tried opening the door. Sliding it half open, he stopped short when his olfactory senses were overloaded by the heavy scent of desert sand.

"Can I help you," a chillingly cold voice said from behind him. Neji quickly turned around, surprised to see the red haired boy standing right behind him. He had never had another person sneak up on him like that without him noticing.

"Gaara," Neji said, the name distasteful in his mouth. Gaara gave him an expressionless look that neither hinted at anger at his trespassing nor surprise upon seeing him. Dark circles like pollution ringed the placid green swamp waters of his eyes. The infamous nocturnal Gaara always had a strange hypnotic effect on those who looked upon him. "In fact yes, there is something you can help me with," Neji said, trying not to get led into his pace.

"Are you a relation to Hyuuga Hikaru?" Gaara wondered out loud.

"I'm Hyuuga Neji, his older brother."

"Ah. _Brother_," Gaara said dully. The way the term was so easily dismissed in his mouth made Neji think that Gaara did not exactly believe him. "So what brings you here Hyuuga Neji?" he asked, walking up to the door to his house and abruptly shutting it. The smell of sand disappeared.

"I wanted to ask you a question. What is _your_ relation to Uchiha Itachi?"

Gaara looked at him with the same flat expression in his eyes. "There is no relation."

"Then why does his address lead to your home?" Neji asked with a scowl. "You're hiding something aren't you?"

"I do not know, but I suggest you leave if you don't want to get hurt in the crossfire," Gaara said, turning briefly to look out into the distance for something that had not yet come. The sky had gotten dark. It would rain soon.

"Crossfire of what?"

"It's none of your concern," Gaara replied blankly. "I do not know why Uchiha Itachi used my address and neither do I know where he is. However, I will tell you one thing I do know since you have come all this way and you are _his_ brother; Uchiha Itachi is not the enemy you should be looking for."

"Then who am I after?" Neji asked, narrowing his eyes. Gaara knew something and he was hiding it. Neji wasn't surprised. It was as expected from someone who hailed from such a powerful political background. There were many rumors swirling around the red-haired devil. Some claimed him to be a murderous ghost that haunted the school, others said that he was part demon not born from woman but of something more sinister. However, despite these preposterous rumors, Neji knew Gaara was really the son of a corrupt politician who had an extensive underground network that had a tendency of making people disappear off the face of the Earth. He was nothing more than a human like everybody else, but that did not mean he was normal by any standards.

"Figure it out yourself Hyuuga, you are not completely incompetent are you?" Gaara said mockingly. The two glared at one another for a while before Gaara lost interest in him. Walking back into his house, his green eyes sharpened as he passed, a warning like a knife pressed at his throat telling him that any more unnecessary probing into his affairs would not end well for him. The door to the house shut Neji out with a slam and the wind chimes began to sound again as the wind started to blow fiercely.

Large dark drops of water began to fall from the weeping sky quickly staining the Earth black. Neji swore that he would get to the bottom of this mystery. He was not going to let anyone threaten the well-being of the Hyuuga clan, not when he had sacrificed and lost so much.

* * *

**A/N:** For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to write that Hinata saw Sasuke's exposed nipples? I did write in before but I took it out since I don't think Hinata would even _think_ the word "nipple" in her head, but maybe I should've left it in haha... On another note, the part with Neji's POV opens up another can of worms, but at least we get a little closer to unveiling the underlying plot that is guiding the characters along.

Some replies to things that were brought up in the reviews:

1) You guys want more Gaahina? What, you guys don't like Sasuhina anymore?! Is it because Sasuke is kind of a jerk? Haha I'm just kidding (well maybe not about the Sasuke being a jerk part). Well due to popular demand, I might add more Gaahina then.

2) Itachi is not dead so don't forget about him haha. He's a bit awol at the moment, but he's pretty central to the plot and Hinata's development. We'll get much more of him later.

3) Someone suggested a rewrite. I'll consider it to spruce up the earlier chapters' syntax and to get rid of all the typos.

4) A thousand kowtows to those who have stuck with this for so long given my prolonged absences. I'm happy you guys like my characterization of Hinata. I'm working on some character development, but she's like a baby fish trying to swim upstream. You know, I'm standing there chanting "go Hinata go!", fist pumping in the air and all that jazz, but she's just flapping around going nowhere... so yeah... I'll work on it.

* * *

**Reviews are appreciated! It always makes me happy to see people taking an interest in my story. :)**


	22. Within Pandora's Box

**A/N:** Hallelujah answers have come! Please bear with me if it seems a little outrageous at first, but it will all make sense sooner or later I swear. You know, while Hinata was having an existential crisis and freaking out over newfound feelings for boys, a power struggle had been playing out behind the scenes this whole time. I apologize if the writing quality took a dip this chapter, but I'm tired and wanted to update with something.

* * *

**Chapter 22 Within Pandora's Box  
**

What she couldn't understand were the motives of men, and motives that she couldn't see were what she was afraid of the most. Like a bee hiding within the folded petals of a beautiful flower, she was afraid of getting stung, and because she was afraid, she dared not touch the flower. Being with Sasuke brought with it hazards that she couldn't even begin to account for. When his presence used to be so scarce before, she now felt the full force of his attention until her moonlight eyes had been completely eclipsed by his shadow.

"Why have you gotten so quiet?" he asked in a low voice over her shoulder. Dark hair brushed against dark hair, sending shivers down her spine. "You're still looking at that stupid script? I thought you had your lines memorized." He waited for her to say something, but her lips remained a tight thin line. Finally running out of patience, he placed a hand on her arm. "Talk to me," he commanded.

Hinata suddenly stood up and her chair screeched backwards, startling Sasuke into taking a step back. She gave him an indignant look and stormed out of the room, not once making a sound. It was raining so she didn't go outside, but instead she took a different turn and walked right over to Neji's room and slammed the door behind her without looking back.

Her cousin looked up at her from his desk, surprised to see her. "Hinata-sama," he blinked. Several sheets of paper were fanned out on his desk. It seemed that he was in the middle of composing a letter, but he folded it up quickly and put it away.

"Neji-niisan," she sighed, biting her bottom lip, troubled.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, giving her a look over. "Come, let's talk in my study," he said. They walked into his study where there was a table and two chairs and sat down.

"I really want to switch rooms Neji-niisan. I don't want to live with Sasuke anymore," she said tiredly, rubbing her eyes bruised from lack of sleep.

"Did something happen between you two?" he asked, worried.

"No-I mean yes-I mean... he knows my real identity..." she said after another deep sigh.

"What?" Neji snapped loudly. "What do you mean he knows your real identity?" he thundered. Hinata flinched, she had not seen her cousin this mad in a long time. "I told you to be careful!"

"I did try to be careful, but he knew all along who I was!" Hinata told him. "He told me he used to know me, when we were younger," she said.

Neji frowned, deep lines etching themselves onto his forehead as he reluctantly sat back down and took a sip from his tea. "Is he threatening to expose you?"

"No," Hinata replied, not exactly anyways. He wasn't using the knowledge to blackmail her into doing anything, but he also refused to go back to pretending he didn't know either.

"That would explain why he acted so strangely towards you," Neji muttered, clearly unhappy about this whole situation. "This just reaffirms my suspicions. I think the Uchiha brothers might be working together. Yesterday I found out that the one who was responsible for keeping you as Sasuke's roommate is Itachi. All my applications for a switch had been rejected. Even more amazing was that when I went to look for Itachi to ask him about it, the address the office gave me led me to Gaara instead."

"What?" she said her mind spinning from the amount of new information she had to process. "Uchiha-sensei and Gaara? How do they know each other?"

"I'm not exactly sure how they know each other, but Gaara was definitely hiding something about the Uchiha clan. You should be careful Hinata-sama. He knows a lot more about everything than he lets on."

"What should we do?" she asked uneasily. How was Gaara suddenly involved in this?

"The only way is to find Itachi and ask him directly, but I have no idea where he has gone. I have asked school staff and other students, but no one has seen him. It's like he has disappeared off the face of the Earth. Hinata-sama, for your safety, why don't you stay here for a bit? I have an extra futon and you can sleep in my study," he told her. "I would offer you my bed, but Lee tends grind his teeth when he sleeps."

"Really?" Hinata asked. "That would be great," she said with an exhausted smile.

"Why don't you grab some of your things. I'll have your futon ready for you when you return," he told her.

Hinata nodded but was reluctant to return to her room in case she ran into Sasuke. However, her worries were unfounded because he was gone when she went back. She quickly took her bag and put in her toothbrush, a change of clothes, and her homework. When she returned, Neji had cleared a space by the windows and placed a futon behind the desk. Luckily, Neji had always kept his things neat and orderly so there was not a speck of dust to be found on the floor.

"I'm going to be stepping out for a bit Hinata-sama so please make yourself comfortable. If Lee comes back before me, don't tell him anything except to wait until I come back and explain everything to him."

She watched the competent back of her older cousin leave and when she was sure he was not coming back, she quickly moved to his desk where she searched and found the sheet of paper with Gaara's address. With the piece of paper in hand, she took took out the map of the school and a pen, circling the spot where she could find the house on the map.

Taking a white umbrella from his room and tucking the map under her arm, she headed outside. Rain poured down like white sheets from the gray sky and the wind blew fiercely, scattering her hair and threatening to rip her umbrella and map from her hands. Using her umbrella as a shield, she pressed towards her destination, even as the wind howled wildly about her, splashing her with rain. After almost losing her umbrella many times, she came across a copse of woodland. Branches swayed and creaked like menacing giants, and leaves fluttered like the sound of a thousand flapping paper cranes as she stood before the dark jutting building. The tinkling of wind chimes cut through the chaos of the storm, and she knew that she had reached the right place.

She climbed the slightly elevated platform and knocked on the door. The building looked old and abandoned with their boarded up windows. After several minutes of no one answering, she knocked again. This time, the door slid open on her third knock to reveal the startling fire of Gaara's hair as he glowered dangerously at her.

"Gaara!" she said, taken aback by his wretched mood. He looked a bit startled to see her and the murderous look disappeared from his face.

"What are you doing here?" The overpowering smell of sand flooded her senses. She could it within.

"Why do you have so much sand on the floor of your house?" she asked, curiously.

"Answer my question first."

"I wanted to talk to you," she said. He studied her face for a few moments with a detached expression, but then he unexpectedly opened the door wider to invite her inside. She stepped carefully in, noticing that there wasn't a single sign of furniture in the house, or any sign that anyone lived in this old building. The wooden floors creaked as she walked, the sand clinging to the bottom of her wet shoes as he led her through one empty room after another until they reached a kitchen area. It seemed that the sand gathered mainly at the edges of the walls and when she looked up, she saw that occasionally, sand would trickle down from cracks in the ceiling, as if the house was bleeding gold.

The kitchen appeared to be the only room that worked. Small windows lined the top of one wall and on the other was a refrigerator, an oven, and a stove with a black tea kettle sitting on top. He poured himself some black tea into a ceramic tea cup he had retrieved from a cupboard. When he offered her one, she politely declined. Taking sips from the aromatic brown liquid, he asked in a low calm voice: "What did you want to talk about?"

"Where is the sand coming from?" she asked curiously when out of the corner of her eye, another slither of gold slipped from the ceiling down the wall.

"Upstairs," he replied vaguely.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"It is better if you are not so curious about the sand," he said with some finality.

She wanted to ask him more, but he sincerely did not look like he wanted to talk about, so she moved onto what she had actually come to him for. "I heard my cou-my brother came here the other day asking about Uchiha-sensei."

"He did," Gaara said, narrowing his eyes slightly. It was obvious they were not friendly.

"You didn't tell him anything?" she asked.

"No, nothing much. He had tried to come into my house without an invitation, and he was rather demanding," Gaara said, leaning against the knuckle of his hand as he slouched tiredly. "If he wasn't your relation, I would not have forgiven him."

"I'm sorry about that. He didn't mean any harm by it," she said, quickly coming to Neji's defense.

Gaara did not look convinced, but he did not argue with her. "You wanted to see Uchiha Itachi. Isn't that why you've come here?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Then will you do me a favor first?"

"I'd be happy to help you anyway I can," she said eagerly.

He smiled, this time actually smiled. It was an amused smile on her behalf, but still, she etched it into stone in her mind, his smile being so rare. "Are you sure that you want to agree before hearing the favor first?"

"What is it?"

"I want you to deliver something for me. Unlike you, I'm not allowed to step a foot off of campus, and I can't trust the regular courier to deliver something so fragile. The thing is, what you will be delivering might unsettle you." Gaara stood up and emptied the rest of his mug of coffee into the sink. "However, I cannot tell you what is inside, only that you would probably refuse to deliver it if I told you what it is."

"Who am I delivering it to?" Hinata asked, finding it very peculiar that Gaara would tell her something like that.

"You wanted to see Uchiha Itachi, so I'm sending you to him. If you deliver this package to him for me, I will gladly tell you where he is, but you cannot tell anyone else, especially not your brother or your roommate. Outsiders would only cause more trouble than necessary," he said. "The package must also be delivered today."

"Right now?" she asked. "It's raining."

"It will stop soon," he said walking over to the window and taking a look up at the sky. In the diaphanous light, she could see on his pale outstretched neck the markings of a light purple bruise.

"What is that?" she asked, coming towards him to take a closer look. "What's that on your neck?" she asked. His hand automatically went to his neck.

"What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled.

"Did someone try to strangle you?" she asked, her heart dropping. "There are bruises around your neck!"

"Oh, that," he said, as if it was some inconsequential detail he had forgotten about, hadn't even noticed even. "It's no matter. That is over now. Follow me, I will bring you the package," he said. She followed him out of the kitchen and then they came to a set of stairs going up. It was dark and the entrance was sealed with white tape. "It is better if you stayed here," he told her, and disappeared up the dark steps. He came back five minutes later with a perfectly cubed cardboard box. The top was heavily duct taped.

"What's in it?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity. What would Gaara possibly have that he would need to send to Itachi?

"Have you ever heard of the story of Pandora's Box?" he asked her. When she shook her head, he smiled faintly. "It's a parable about the dangers of being overly curious. Open it, and all the evil in the world might come out."

"Is that true?"

"Of course not. We're not living in a parable," he handed her the box. It was large and was about the size and weight of a bowling ball, but there was nothing moving around inside. "I will give you Itachi's address in a moment."

He wrote it down for her and she slipped it into her pocket. "The rain will clear up soon, then you should go," he said. The two of them waited at the entrance of the house, listening to the softly falling rain and the tinkling of wind chimes. The box was placed in a plastic bag to avoid getting wet, but it didn't matter because within a minute, the rain had come to a stop as if Gaara had willed it so. She glanced curiously at his passive face, wondering how he knew the things he knew. How nice it would be, she thought, if she could see through his eyes one day.

"Will you be okay?" she asked, still unsettled by the bruises around his neck.

"Do you trust me?" Eyes as steady as the sea gazed at her with quiet wonder.

"I do," she said.

He looked away. "Then you are a fool. Don't trust anyone except for yourself. Go now before the rain comes back," he said.

She nodded and she quickly left without turning back, her shoes squishing on the wet and muddy dirt. Weighed down by curiosity and intrigue, her arms went numb and her muscles strained from holding onto the heavy mysterious box. Perhaps if there weren't so much tape on it, she wouldn't have been able to resist peeking, but for now, she headed straight to the stables to request a carriage that would take her to the address Gaara had provided.

"I hope it's not too far," Hinata said, showing one of the drivers the address. The man was short and portly with a thick mustache but kind glinting eyes. He gave her a reassuring nod.

"No problem," the driver said. "It's just the next town over. Hop in," he told her, opening the carriage door.

"I don't have any money." It was all left in her bag back in the room.

The man laughed. "It's our job to escort students out of town and back. Don't worry about it."

Relieved, she climbed into the neat black carriage for a long and bumpy ride out of school. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she realized she was leaving the school without anyone knowing and without an escort to look after her. She could just imagine the look on Neji's face if he ever found out. He would probably turn completely red with fury. Giggling to herself excitedly with the box safely tucked away by her side, she braced herself for the long ride to the next town. It had stopped raining, but the countryside was still a bleak gray. After about two hours, she could see the edges of the city in the twilight skyline. It had been a long time since she had visited a real city, and even then, she was always bombarded by guards so she never got to see much of it.

"We're here," the driver said. She got out of the carriage and thanked the man. He asked her when he should return.

"I don't plan on staying very long," she said.

"Alright. I'll wait for you here while I water the horses."

"Thank you," she said with a short bow. "Do you know where this address is?" she asked.

He grinned and pointed past crowds of people to a tall wooden building not too far away. "That should be it, over there."

She thanked the kind man again and made her way there. The smell of sizzling food wafted through the air making her stomach grumble. She had not eaten since breakfast, but without any money she couldn't afford anything to eat. Ignoring her hunger, she walked into the building on the address and found it incredibly busy with people moving this way and thought. There was a desk and a stern looking woman sat behind it. "Can I help you?" she asked with an arch of her perfectly plucked eyebrow. "What department are you looking for miss?"

"Um..." Hinata said looking down at her paper. It didn't say. "I don't know, but I'm looking for Uchiha Itachi."

"Sorry I can't help you," she said with a frown.

"You're looking for Uchiha? I know where he is," a man with blonde hair that had been passing by said. "I can take you to him." She was a bit wary of listening to the stranger, but he had an official name tag that read "Deidara".

"Okay," she said, following him hesitantly until they reached an office. Itachi was arguing with a large menacing man sitting behind an important looking desk.

"I just need a little more time!" Itachi told him.

"We gave you enough time Uchiha," the man growled, cigar in mouth.

Deidara knocked on the wood of the open door. "Hey, you have a guest. I think she has something for you," Deidara said, moving aside to reveal Hinata, who stood there meekly holding the box in her arms.

"Hinata?" Itachi said, not exactly happy to see her. "Why are you here? Why are you by yourself?"

"Um... I wanted to talk to you and... to deliver a package from... Gaara," she said, presenting him with the box.

"Gaara?" Itachi asked, taking the box from her. Everyone went quiet as Itachi placed the box on the desk. He produced a pocket knife and started cutting through the tape and opened the flaps which revealed nothing more than a box filled to the brim with sand.

"Sand? What is this?" the man behind the desk asked, peering at it curiously.

Itachi brushed the sand aside, some of it spilling out onto the floor and then he suddenly stopped. Hinata gasped and everyone except Itachi took a few steps back in alarm. Inside the box was a human head. Closed eyes rested without a trace of disturbance, and on the skin of the face was a strange pattern of dark bruising.

"Holy shit!" Deidara exclaimed excitedly.

"Deidara, get the head to the lab immediately," the man behind the desk ordered. Deidara took the box, closed it as well as he could and took off with it. She was horrified. All this time, she had been holding a dead person's head? She shivered, wondering why in the world Gaara had something like that. The man at the desk sighed and then turned to Itachi. "Alright Uchiha, I'll give you another month to solve the case."

Hinata was still shaken by the sight of the severed head, when Itachi took her aside. She felt nauseous and slightly betrayed.

"You should return home," Itachi said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"No! I'm not leaving until someone tells me what's going on!" she cried, looking up at him with desperate eyes. There had been many things she had overlooked before, but she couldn't do it any longer.

He looked hesitant, but he gave in with a sigh. "Alright, let's go to my office."

Itachi's office was small and tidy. Katanas were lined on the wall behind him. A large plant sat in the corner. There was a bookshelf filled to the brim with old worn leather-bound tomes and by the door was large metallic black filing cabinets filled with black binders. On his desk sat a framed photo of his family, a picture that was identical to the one that Sasuke had thrown into the trash and she had retrieved.

"What do you do here?" Hinata asked.

He gave her a wry smile. "First you have to promise that you will say nothing about what happened here today. Nothing about you even coming here, about the head, about Gaara, about me, about anything. Do I make myself clear?"

She gulped and nodded. "I promise."

"Good. As for your question of what I'm doing here, it's simple: I've been working here as an undercover agent since I left the Uchiha clan. The only reason I came to Konoha Academy was to catch a criminal who has been eluding the government for several decades."

"Criminal? Who is the criminal?" she asked, wondering if it was Gaara.

"Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru-sensei?" she said, shocked. He certainly looked like a villain and he certainly was very odd, but she had never seen him doing anything dastardly or mean-spirited.

"Yes we have reason to believe that he is a serial killer that experiments on his victims and then collects rare body parts, for example... unusual eyes," Itachi told her, giving her a meaningful look.

Hinata froze, a chill running down her spine. "Me?"

He nodded gravely. "Yes. Orochimaru most likely came to the school in order to take your cousin's eyes and now probably yours. He has recently taken an interest in the eyes of the Hyuuga. You're particularly vulnerable being the heiress. I had followed him for quite some time to catch him, but we currently don't have enough evidence to arrest him. If I can only find out where he's been dumping his victims or where he stores the the body parts he collects, then we can finally put him away once and for all," Itachi said, brow furrowed with irritation. "However, no matter how often I watched him, I found nothing. I've searched the whole campus and the area around it but I can't find his hiding spot."

"Then the head... what does Gaara have to do with it?" she asked, afraid to even find out.

"I don't know what he wants, but Gaara must know where Orochimaru's secret lab is if he sent that head. The markings on the skin, that was caused by a very special chemical poison that we suspect Orochimaru has been developing in secret."

"If he knows, why don't you just ask him? Then it would all be over wouldn't it?"

"With such valuable information, there's no way someone like Gaara would hand it out for free. Politics and corruption runs through his veins. I suspect that the reason he sent that head was to show the government who exactly has the upperhand. He will probably want something in return for the information. The only problem is, there's a good chance he'll want something that the government can't give him."

"So he used me as a pawn?" Hinata said, suddenly feeling deflated. At this point, she didn't even know why she was surprised. She had always been nothing but a pawn to everyone around her, but for some reason, she hadn't believed that Gaara would do something like that.

"I'm afraid so. I'm sorry Hinata. It seemed that you were friendly with him."

"I was. I feel a bit stupid now in thinking that we were friends," she muttered under her breath.

"Gaara is not someone who is capable of friendship. He had been diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder when he was young. In other words, he is a sociopath, a highly functioning sociopath, but still one nonetheless. At one point he had become so violent that he was locked away in an asylum and needed a straitjacket and a muzzle whenever he left his cell."

"Then how did he get out?" Hinata asked, shocked.

"He had become friends with one of the patients, and showed emotions of anger and remorse when she was killed by another patient. His desire for revenge made his disorder suspect. The professionals re-evaluated his mental state and decided that he had emotions, only that they were stunted due to his medical condition and the unhealthy environment he grew up in. Eventually, after more tests and some therapy, they released him. However, that does not mean he does not have sociopathic tendencies."

She recalled him saying that he had been sent away for a period of time. So it was an insane asylum... His words from that night at the infirmary suddenly came back to her. I found humans to be vulgar and ugly things.I thought myself to be an entirely different species from them, a superior species, but without fail, when they bleed, their blood was the same shade of red as mine. I thought I was blessed to be born without knowing pain, but one way or another, pain isn't something humans can escape from.

"Are you saying that... he's dangerous? Before I left, he told me that it was foolish that I trusted him," she said with a wry smile. "He also told me that I shouldn't trust anyone else either."

"That's reasonable advice."

"Then... why should I trust you?" she said, her expression growing dark. He looked astonished to see her so suspicious of him. She looked at him queerly as understanding broke upon her like a tidal wave. I thought I was blessed to be born without pain, Gaara had told her. She saw it now. For her whole life she had been cushioned by the strong walls of the Hyuuga, protected from the world, but she realized that he was right. In the end, pain was not something she could escape from. It had always been there, whether she was aware of it or not.

He smiled, but a little sadly, "You're right to suspect me as well. You've grown."

"It seems that I've been trying to look through the eyes of a sociopath this whole time. You were wrong Uchiha-sensei. Gaara did not use me as his pawn. It was my own choice to deliver the package in order to learn where you were. He had never asked anything of me before. He told me not to open the box and alluded to the evil within. I don't know about Gaara's relationship with Orochimaru-sensei or with you or the government, but he has never forced his will upon me. Unlike you Uchiha-sensei. You've been using me this whole time haven't you?" she said, lowering her head to look down at the bunched up fists clenched on her lap. Her shoulders were shaking from anger.

He looked shocked.

"I'm right aren't I? Something isn't right about what you're saying. When I heard that you had fixed Sasuke and me as roommates, I began to wonder about your motives. You knew that I would be at the school before I even left my house. That's why by the time I got there, I was already stuck with Sasuke! You knew! I am not a complete idiot!" she cried. "There was no way you would've known that Hyuuga Hikaru was me, unless... for some reason... you had the information beforehand. I think that maybe you had a spy in the Hyuuga clan, or even worse, maybe you had set them up to send me away. You've been tracking Orochimaru for a long time haven't you? Just now you were arguing with your boss for an extension. Your boss had given you a time limit because you couldn't find evidence didn't he? For all I know, you had set up a deal with Gaara for the head in order to get an extension on your case. When Gaara told me not to trust anyone, he also meant you. 'Don't trust anyone but yourself' is what he told me. He was right. Only when I began to doubt did I begin to see that everyone has been lying to me!" she said, hot tears of anger building up in her eyes.

She took a deep shaky breath before continuing. "You knew I was coming because you were the one who arranged it in the first place! There's no way that my father would agree to something so ridiculous without being persuaded by someone he thought he could trust. Orochimaru-sensei and you came at the same time I did. You said that Orochimaru was interested in Neji's eyes, but why did his and your arrival coincide with mine? It's too much to be a mere coincidence! Maybe you were the one who told him that I would be there, that I would be an easy target. Unlike Neji, my eyes are more special because I'm the heiress who can see in the dark, and also unlike Neji, I would only be away from my clan for a short period of time. Orochimaru would've had to act quickly if he wanted my eyes. Maybe you were going to sacrifice me so that you could have some sort of blood trail leading back to his hiding place," she took in a deep breath and then glared up at him. "You make me sick!" she shouted, suddenly getting up and slamming both fists on the table. Her broken wrist exploded in pain, but she welcomed it as a healthy dose of reality, something she sorely needed.

Itachi looked more than taken aback. He was stunned. "You really have grown Hinata," he said slowly. "I envy Gaara for your trust in him, even if he calls you foolish because of it. You're right. I had bribed Hyuuga Hiroki to convince your father to release you from the confines of those walls. I had used you in order to to bait Orochimaru because I knew he would be unable to resist taking your eyes. It is exactly as you have guessed. I did it because I was going to be taken off the case and I couldn't let that happen. That man has killed so many innocent people for his own sick obsession. I did use you, but do not think for a second that I would've let you get hurt. I'm truly sorry for lying to you and for using you. I know I was being selfish," Itachi said, his dark eyes remorseful.

She was still furious at him but she slowly sat back down on her seat, her whole body shaking from the adrenaline rush left behind by her boiling rage. "I don't like being lied to."

"I'm sorry."

"You also never murdered anyone from the Uchiha clan," she said suddenly.

"No, you're right. I did not," he said with a sigh at the topic being brought up again.

"Then who did it?"

"You were there that night. You should know what happened," he said.

She looked at him, dumbfounded. "I was?"

"You should return to school now Hinata. It's getting late. I will return to school soon as well, we can talk more at a later time."

"Itachi," she said. He looked a bit surprised to hear her use his first name. "Don't lie to me anymore. If you can do that, I will help you find Orochimaru-sensei's hideout," she said grimly, not sure if she was really doing the right thing by making such an offer.

"It'll be dangerous," he warned her.

"Not anymore dangerous than it was before when I didn't know your motives for bringing me here."

"Why would you help me after I've lied to you and used you?"

"Orochimaru-sensei is a murderer isn't he? I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this because he needs to be caught."

For a moment, he seemed unsure, but then he smiled. "Thank you Hinata."

She returned to the school physically and emotionally exhausted, but she felt oddly satisfied. However, she couldn't let her guard down yet. She still was not a hundred percent sure if she could trust Itachi or Gaara for that matter, but perhaps she didn't really need to trust them for now.

One thing she couldn't wrap her mind around was what Sasuke had to do with everything. Her mind turned over every stone from the time she had started attending school, but she couldn't see him being involved in this little plot. Sasuke couldn't possibly have known that Itachi had tampered with the roommate placement and neither could he have known that Itachi had come to the school because of Orochimaru. The photo held the evidence. When she had arrived, Sasuke had thrown it away already, which could only mean that Itachi had arrived before she did to the school. He had given Sasuke a copy of that photo from his desk. Itachi's reason for forcing her to live with Sasuke, she sensed an ulterior motive there, but perhaps it was not such a shady one. Maybe it was the past that Itachi had wanted to bring back: the photo and herself. He was presenting Sasuke with them as hints that Itachi still cared for him and that he was trying to right the wrongs committed in the past.

Hinata had been there, but she could not remember. Itachi had once told her that she had carefully chosen to forget everything, but she didn't know why. She bit down on her lower lip as she slipped out from the carriage and back onto the lamp-lit campus, the road before her like a trail of fallen stars.

She wasn't sure what she should do from now on. Gaara's words echoed in her head. Don't trust anyone but yourself. She looked down at her one uninjured hand that once held a red crane.

The crane was a symbol of longevity and good fortune, but it had another meaning as well: fidelity.

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**A/N:** HOLLLY SHIT DETECTIVE HINATA YOU GO GIRL! Teehee did you guys know that I have been planting clues all along?

Okay so this ended up leaning towards Gaahina, but honest to God they are just friends for now. Someone was concerned about Sasuke and Gaara fighting over Hinata, but let me tell you... even if Gaara was in love with Hinata (which he isn't) he's above petty jealousy. I think if it's fighting over Hinata out of jealousy it would be Sasuke and Kiba right? Anyway, Gaahina's relationship as it stands now has little chance of developing into a romance so you'll just have to wait till both characters to develop further for anything like that to happen (I told you this fic is long). As for whether Gaara has other ulterior motives, well... we'll just have to wait and see. (¬‿¬)

I'm also outlining a new Gaahina fic, but it's rated M for reasons other than smut so readers of this fic may or may not actually like it.

Anyway, next chapter we'll see a how Hinata and Sasuke work out their differences... hopefully.

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**As always thank you reviewers for always making my day and all that. (◡‿◡✿) I always love reading your guys' comments even if I don't reply to all of them. You are all so cute and lovely. So don't be shy and let me know what you think!**


	23. Kaleidoscope

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait! Chapter is shorter than usual too. Also, this is kind of funny to me, but the term "feminist" turns up quite often for whatever reason in the reviews so I thought I would throw in a popular feminist allusion, it should be pretty obvious but extra credit points to those who catch it. ^^

Beta'd by: **Lecs**

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**Chapter 23 Kaleidoscope**

Once upon a time there was a little girl who built dreams into glass castles. Piece by piece, she caught the spectrum of the sun and ribbons of rainbow broke upon hexagonal fragments of light.

And once upon a time, there was a woman who stitched white stones into her dress pocket and with tear streaked eyes, walked into dark water. Duty, as heavy as a boulder bore down upon the woman's shoulders like Atlas holding up the world. She sank, claimed by death and decay while the little girl continued to extract from her dreams threads of translucent light across her eyes, unable to see the filth beyond her colored glass. A white stone was passed from the hands of mother to daughter, and she turned it around and around in her hands until the stone had become as smooth as a pebble. What was to be done with it, she didn't quite know. Sometimes the price to pay for freedom was self-destruction.

Hinata woke up the day after her trip to the city with tears in her eyes. She had dreamt of her mother. Lying in the futon on the floor of her cousin's study, she shielded her eyes from the glare of sunbeams. Once fully awake, she climbed to her feet, stretched out her weary body and slipped into her cousin's bathroom to wash up. When she finished, she was drying her hair by the window when Neji came in.

"Good morning Hinata-sama. Did you sleep well?"

"I had a dream about my mother. I haven't thought of her in a long time," she said as she ran a bone tooth comb through her wet black hair.

"It's better if you don't dwell on something like that. There's no point in dredging up the past," Neji told her.

"I found her in the pond lying beneath lily pads and floating lotuses. Her body poisoned all the koi that day. It took several years before we could raise fish again," Hinata said, her eyes not looking at her stern cousin but inwards at some distant memory. "I had always been afraid to ask my father why she killed herself, but I think I've come to understand now. She led a miserable and lonely life."

"She had no reason to feel miserable or lonely. She had a loving family, and every comfort she could ever want or ask for," Neji told her.

"If she was not unhappy, then why did she drown herself?" Hinata asked, turning to him for an answer.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter anymore does it? It was a long time ago."

"It does matter!" she cried suddenly. "What about your father? No one ever told you who had killed him. Don't you want to know?" she asked.

"Do _not_ bring up my father," Neji said dangerously. "And I know who killed him. It was _you_," he said, his eyes as harsh as ice, his whole body as rigid as a statue. Hinata looked at him, stunned. "But let's not bring up the past. The only thing that matters right now is the present and the future," he said, the look of anger disappearing as soon as it had come. His mask of stoicism was put up once again.

Guilt flooded her. "I'm sorry Neji-niisan, I didn't mean that-"

"It's okay Hinata-sama. I know what you meant. I shouldn't have lost my temper," he said with a light sigh. "I have some things to attend to. I trust you'll be able to take care of yourself for the time being?"

She nodded slowly, still regretting that she had mentioned his father in the first place. If it weren't for Neji, she wouldn't have come nearly as far as she had. Growing up, he was the only person she had to talk to. She wondered if he knew how important he was to her and would never purposely upset him in any way.

"Neji-niisan..." she said.

"Yes?"

"When do you think I will be returning home?"

"We'll have to wait for Hiashi-sama to say it's okay first."

"Um, can I ask you one more thing? Is Hiroki-san still at the estate?"

"Hiroki-san? Why are you asking about him?"

"No reason. I was just wondering..." she said.

"I don't know, but I can ask in the next letter I write home."

After Hinata finished drying off and Neji had long been gone, she grabbed her bag of things and left his room to return to her own. She hovered outside the door nervously, butterflies in her stomach. Finally gathering her courage, she went inside, expecting to see Sasuke sitting at his desk and the pale bridge of his neck bent over an unfolded book. However, there was nothing but an empty seat. She peeked into his study, knocked on his bathroom-even checked her own rooms, but he was nowhere to be found.

And this made her feel slightly... devastated. Hinata shut her eyes tightly and let out a sigh before opening them again. Still nothing.

Perhaps he had gone off to train, or maybe he was at the gym. Should she go look for him or should she wait? When it came to Sasuke, she never knew what the best action to take was. In the end, she ended up taking a walk to clear her head and enjoy the bright sunshine that was still absorbing the last drops of moisture from the rainy days. The glass dome of the theater building was shining from afar and Hinata walked towards it, wondering if she would be able to see the set for their play being prepared. There were students walking around, decorating the school for the festival. Posters were pasted everywhere to advertise for the different events taking place. Spring was in full bloom and pinkish white petals left a trail upon the moist dark earth.

She considered going to the cafeteria for a proper meal, something she hadn't had since yesterday's breakfast, but she decided to stop and catch the view first while the sun's light was still pale and the air was still refreshingly cool. Heading to the secluded area behind the building, she was faced with the familiar benches overlooking the expansive view of the forest behind the school. She moved up to the wooden fence and looked down. A sense of vertigo hit her when she imagined how easily it would be to fall to her death.

"Are you insane? What are you doing?" Hinata suddenly felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and pull her from over the ledge.

"Sasuke!" she said, surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"I come here all the time. What are _you_ doing here?" he asked, looking quite agitated after letting her go.

"You come here all the time?" she asked. "I just thought that I would come look at-actually I think I might have been looking for you."

"_Might_ have been looking for me?"

"I don't know. Maybe not," she said, confusing even herself.

"And you were looking for me at the bottom of the cliff?" he said uncertainly.

"Oh no! I didn't think you were at the bottom of the cliff... I was just..." her words trailed off because she really didn't know what she was doing and now that Sasuke was standing in front of her with his puzzled and impatient expression, she had no idea what to say next.

An awkward silence passed between them. Her eyes were trained at the top of her shoes as she kicked around a few pebbles in the wet dirt, clearly embarrassed by her brilliant demonstration of eloquence. Her whole life had been spent learning proper dictation, and she had failed something even as simple as that. Forget survival tactics, leadership training, finance, management and all the other things that they had tried to teach her to make her fit for leading the clan, she could barely even string a sentence together when necessary.

"So..." Sasuke said, the one to break the silence much to her relief. "Where did you go last night?"

"Last night? Oh, I slept with Neji," she said.

"You slept with Neji," he repeated, each syllable weighing more than the last.

"In his study on the floor," she added quickly, hoping he wasn't imagining her snuggling up to her cousin in his bed or something nightmarish like that. As much as she admired and loved Neji, their affection remained in the realm of nuanced encouragement through carefully worded phrases.

"Why? Do I bother you that much?" he asked, his tone bitter.

"Yes," she answered hesitantly. As she expected, he did not take her response very well, but she wanted to be honest with him for once.

It seemed that between the two, there was more said through silence than through sound. Their relationship was somehow built between the empty spaces between words. Like reading a book, you hardly notice it at all while reading, but once you take a step back from the page do you realize that it is these little white spaces that give meaning to the random jumble of letters. Nothing more than a chaos of code, undecipherable until you could see the contrast of what's there and what's not.

Sometimes Sasuke was there, but more often he was not. And at some point during the trajectory of time that shot out like an arrow passing right before her eyes, the way in which she measured her experiences seemed to fall into two categories: he was there, or he was not.

Right now, he was here; before, he was not. A light blinks on; it blinks off. A clock ticked somewhere off in the distance, but it didn't mean anything, _not really, not anymore_.

"I lose," she declared suddenly, surprising the both of them. She no longer wanted to play the game they had set up.

"What?" he asked sharply, as was his habit whenever he didn't understand something that should be perfectly understandable.

"I lose," she repeated, her voice not quite as steady, her expression not quite as confident as a light dusting of pink fell on her cheeks. Composure failed, the dam of butterflies broke, fluttering through her with their brilliant crimson wings right beneath her skin.

"I'm the one who lost," he said, the nervousness contagious. "I already admitted defeat," he said with the slightest hint of a forlorn smile.

"You did? When?"

"Yesterday. When you didn't come back." His eyes were downcast and his shoulders slumped. He had been worried. It was not a feeling that he was used to.

It had always been _her_ waiting for _him_, not the other way around. It was her face he always expected to see whenever he opened the doors to their room. Sometimes she would be studying and sometimes she would be sleeping, but always she would be _there_ like a fixture in his vision drawing in his eyes with some invisible gravitational force.

Yet lately, he had come back to more and more absences. First when she had broken her wrist, and then yesterday when she had disappeared completely altogether. He had looked everywhere for her, nearly tore the school down wondering where she had gone. And _that_ was when he lost. He would rather go back to being just roommates then have her leave altogether. He didn't care if she forgot all about him, as long as when he opened the door, she would be where he expected to find her.

It brought back bad memories of that day when he came home from summer camp. That evening when he had come home, all he saw was the raging fire. His neighbor had taken him away from the scene, and he waited anxiously for his parents to come pick him up. He had spent a whole month away camping with a bunch of other kids from school and he missed them. Even after days had passed and he no longer lived in his old home, he would wake up every morning expecting to see them again. He watched every stranger pass him as if they were his parents in disguise. Sasuke thought that it must've been a test of his love, that they were simply hiding from him and that it was up to him to show them he was worthy of being their son. The flowing strand of black hair, the weary broad shoulders of his father, he found features of his mother and father everywhere in the Uchiha clan. The insane amount of theories he developed about why his parents were in hiding were as numerous as the stars, and even when he stood at their funeral watching their caskets lowered their into the ground on a midsummer evening, he continued to hope. All he had seen of his parents were parts of burnt bone, flesh and ash. They could be anyone.

They're not dead, they've just run away, he kept telling himself over and over again. They could not be gone. At that age, Sasuke couldn't comprehend the meaning of eternity. _Never ever_ were words from fairy tales, not from real life. And yet, through his blurred watery vision, he had come to understand that he would _never ever _see them again.

Trying to reclaim what was lost was as futile as grasping at smoke in the air. Sometimes people disappear from your line of sight for one moment, and they never come back.

So he never went back either.

He blamed Itachi, who had provided him with a simple answer to all his problems. "I am the one who ruined your life."

An eternity of sadness was replaced with an eternity of anger, and he foolishly thought that they were two different things. His desire for revenge and his anger were so strong, it burned anyone who had tried to get too close. It must've been the same for Hinata too. She retracted from his touch as if it burned her.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked, worried. "Sasuke?"

Someone tugged at his shirt. Had he also been slowly turning to smoke-slowly fading away? "Sasuke!"

"Yeah," he said hoarsely, snapping out of his momentary trance. She smiled up at him, relieved. Her eyes always reminded him of soap bubbles. Sometimes, when she blinked beneath the sunlight, he swore he could see the refraction of a rainbow in them. Sun collided with kaleidoscope, and he would find himself dazzled.

"Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?"

"Just... stay," he told her. _Stay where I can see you_.

"Okay," she said, seeming to comprehend the meaning behind his words, but then she started to move away and he saw that she did not comprehend. She was trying to reach a place where he would not be able to see her again. He would not let her escape this time. Even if she disliked it, even if it might burn or suffocate, he pulled her into a tight embrace. _You're not going anywhere._

"Sasuke?"

Her body was soft and small against his, but so very real and alive. He shut his eyes tightly, wondering why he was acting this way. It wasn't like him to be so anxious and _touchy_. He waited with dread for her to recoil with disgust from his touch, but she didn't, not even after an uncomfortable amount of time had passed. Her ear was pressed against his frantic heartbeat. He wondered if she could hear it because it was deafening in his ears. When he opened his eyes, she was still there nestled comfortably against the blue cloth of his shirt. From above, he could make out her beautiful fan of her dark lashes and the smooth curve of her rose tinted cheek. Attraction would've been too light a word. His hand traveled from her back until his fingers were caught in a stream of silky black locks. Eventually fingers made their way down the elegant slope of her jaw and he tilted her chin upwards.

His heart rate spiked to dizzying levels upon seeing her expression. What kind of expression was it? He didn't dare to put a name it.

All rationality fled him. Desire clouded his head and instinct took over as he pushed his lips onto hers, savoring in the shared wet warmth. Hunger swelled in tandem to his quickening heartbeat as he cupped the side of her face to draw her closer. She smelled like fresh air even as he drowned and it made him feel so damn empty even as he overflowed.

Still, he waited for her to resist, but she didn't this time either. Instead, he could feel her uncertain hands cling clumsily to the back of his shirt. A dark and consuming desire filled him. He wanted to strip her of her inhibitions, to extinguish that annoying reluctance of hers until she clung to him as if her very life depended on it. Until she begged him to save her even as he destroyed her.

He kissed her with a desperation that border lined on desolation. _Closer_, the voice in the back of his head told him. She gave a small whimper of surprise at the intrusion of his tongue, but once again allowed him to proceed. Electricity coursed through his nerves as he pressed his body closer to hers and he cursed the absurd amount of clothing she wore because he could not really _feel_ her. Her hands had moved from his back and were now lightly pushing back on his chest. The kiss broke so both could come up for air. He looked down at her flushed face as she gasped for air, her chest rising and fall rapidly. He saw the snowy flesh of neck and wanted it.

His mouth came down upon greedily on her neck and he could feel her racing heart beat against his trailing tongue. She made an incoherent noise when his mouth met with collarbone that sent a chill down his spine. His kisses became more fervent as he lost himself in her pulse, in the labored breathing that warmed his ear, in the way her arms wrapped around his neck. Breaking contact from her skin, he returned his attention to her waiting lips. All his nerves strained to feel more, and he felt frustrated enough to cry at the thick layer of clothing in between. A storm was brewing in his gut and the flow of blood was starting to redirect itself somewhere a little more urgent. His hands slipped beneath the clothing and felt the scalding burn of her bare skin. He inwardly smirked when he realized how small her waist is.

"Sasuke...?" she murmured between kisses, a hint of panic in her voice. His hand continued to trail upwards, until he met with something he couldn't quite comprehend. _Bandages?_

"Hm?" he was puzzled, and gave the bandages a little tug.

"No!" she cried, breaking away.

Immediately, he found himself shoved back a few feet, the cool air of separation like a bucket of ice water dumped onto him. A dozen of different emotions ran through him, though most of were only varying shades of anger and frustration as he glared at Hinata, who was still backing away from him. Her cheeks were still pink, but she looked alarmed.

"Um..." she said shakily. "I-I-I have to g-go."

"Wait," he said, annoyed. "What was that for?"

Her blush darkened and she avoided looking at him. "I d-don't think this is the r-right place or time..." She was trembling. He felt the haze in inside his head began to clear a little bit.

His jaw nearly dropped when he realized what she was referring to. Was she talking about _sex? _Did she even _know_ what that was? While the sane part of him thought that she was crazy, the other half suddenly wanted to pounce on her at the mere suggestion.

Seeing her chance, Hinata quickly fled, and he let her escape because if he suddenly started pursuing her, he wasn't sure if he might get too caught up in the chase and... _take it too far. _She was right to stop him because now that he could reflect upon his actions a little more objectively, he had undeniably been going in that direction.

It was definitely not the right time and place, as she had said, but did that mean there _was a right time and place?_ He suddenly felt heat rising up from his neck to his face and he pressed the back of his hand to his mouth, his mind reeling.

His pants were a bit tighter than he remembered.

_Shit_.

* * *

To say that Hinata was embarrassed would be an understatement. She felt stupidly giddy, but also overwhelmed at the same time. Everything was happening too quickly and she could hardly keep track of one moment to the next. Her face was overheated as if with fever and the memory of his exploration had left a trail of fire on her skin. Was it normal for a guy to be so... enthusiastic? She didn't know what was normal and what wasn't, and there was no one she could possibly ask. Physical intimacy was something she had no experience with, not even with her family. Even if it was exhilarating, it was also terrifying.

He had discovered her chest bindings and had pulled at them. It was reasonable that he would be a bit curious about them, but what worried her was what he planned on doing if the bindings _weren't_ there. Just the thought made her want to bury her face in her hands and crawl into a very small dark hole.

She didn't dare return to her own room for the time being so she went to the library instead. To take her mind off of the turn of events she picked up a random history book and forced herself to concentrate and read. After reading the first page at least six times, she felt a hand tap on her shoulder.

Startled, she turned around to be faced with ice blue eyes and sliver of blonde hair.

"Ino-chan!" Hinata said, surprised to see the fashionable girl in the library.

"I guess the rumors were right about you being here all the time," she said. "I guess I can see why you like it here. It's so quiet and empty."

"And the books..." Hinata added, wondering why Ino was here.

"Escape the world in more than one way right? Hikaru, what are you reading?" she asked, looking over her shoulder. "_Famous People of the 16th century_. Oh boy. You sure know how to have a good time."

"Ino-chan, are you here to find some books too?" Hinata asked, ignoring the jab.

"No, actually I came to look for you."

"For what? Is it about the play?"

Ino flashed her a sly smile. "Sure, _the play_. So, when you and Sasuke do your kiss scene, are you two going to kiss as _passionately_ as you did minutes ago?," Ino asked oh-so-casually.

"What? I-!" Hinata blanched. Did she see them? _Oh god_. "I-I don't know what you're t-talking about!" She thought she might actually start hyperventilating. This couldn't be happening. How stupid could she be to kiss Sasuke _in public_?

"Oh don't have a panic attack Hikaru," Ino said, rolling her eyes with a laugh. She took a seat next to her at the empty table and draped a hand around Hikaru's shoulder. Hinata stiffened. Luckily, there really was no one there since it was Sunday afternoon. "I'm not jealous or anything. In fact, I'm actually happy for you two. Congratulations for snagging the most wanted boy at school. So, when are you going to tell everyone that you two are dating?"

"W-We're not d-d-dating," Hinata stammered.

"I don't know... after a kiss like that, it would be kind of scandalous to _not be_ dating," Ino smirked. "Let's just cut to the chase Hikaru because beating around the bushes isn't my style. You know, I've been awfully bored lately. I'm pretty much stuck at this school everyday with nothing to do except listen to Sakura talk about Sasuke all day doing the same crap over and over again. But then you came along and secretly seduced Sasuke with your annoyingly innocent charm. If everyone found out, there would be a riot! Those girls would _skin you alive_."

A chill went down Hinata's spine. Ino didn't have to tell her that there would be trouble if word got out. The fangirls would murder her and the Hyuuga would probably place a hit on Sasuke. It was like Romeo and Juliet, but not romantic at all.

"W-What are you going to do?" Hinata asked weakly.

"Oh I couldn't possibly tell anyone. I like you Hikaru, I don't want to see anyone string you to a flagpole and set you on fire, but you know, sometimes I can be temperamental and I tend to say things I don't mean to when I'm angry."

"You're... blackmailing me?" Hinata asked, stunned.

"_Blackmail_ is such an ugly word, so I guess it's only appropriate to use," Ino laughed. Hinata couldn't believe that Ino would actually do something like that.

"What do y-you want?" Hinata asked, swallowed by dread and fear.

"You," she stated simply.

"Me?"

Ino smiled. "I want your loyalty."

"Loyalty? I-I don't know what you mean..."

"Hey, don't worry, it's not like I'm going to work you to death or something. As long as you're obedient, my lips will be completely sealed. You won't have to do anything _hard_. I'll even let you continue your secret relationship with Sasuke. I'm not one of _those_ girls."

Hinata gulped as she looked at Ino's cheerfully smiling face. She felt sick to the stomach. What could she do but go along with what she asked? She couldn't understand what it was exactly that Ino wanted if she was going to leave her relationship with Sasuke alone. If it didn't have to do with that, then what did it have to do with?

"So? In exchange for my silence, will you do as I say?"

Hinata took a deep breath, "Okay."

Ino smiled again. "Are you really going to give in so easily? Do you always agree to things without knowing the all the facts?"

Hinata paled. "What... am I agreeing to?"

Ino laughed. "You're really stupid. It's already too late to ask."

* * *

A/N: Sasuke you pervert. ;)

Do I have to change my rating soon? (It's okay I'm a pervert too, though smut is very hard to write).

To reply generally to some of the reviews: some of you have been reading carefully huh? :P Also, interesting fact. A bowling ball is about the weight of a human head.

* * *

**As always, reviews are always appreciated! Thank you everyone!**


	24. Sacrifices Part I

******A/N: **The answer to the allusion was Virginia Woolf, who committed suicide by drowning herself by putting stones in her pocket to weigh her down. Like other authors, the reference is to pay homage to her work.

Beta'd by**Lecs**

* * *

**Chapter 24 Sacrifices Part. I**

Temari glanced uneasily at her younger brother, who appeared to be asleep. She had never seen Gaara sleep before and unlike a normal person, whom one would find in a bed or some other cushioned furniture, Gaara was sleeping on top of a table like a cadaver ready to be carved open. Sand continued to slide down the walls at random intervals, some of it speckling his deathly pale skin with grains of sediment. It was just after dawn, and Temari had come to the house, a place she rarely visited anymore, to ask Gaara for his musical expertise on an interpretation of an old baroque piece. However, when she got there, instead of seeing Gaara's menacing glare, she found him lying on the table, dead asleep.

His face was serene and untroubled, almost to the point of resembling the younger brother she had always wanted. For a moment, she thought he was dead. She took out a small mirror and placed in beneath his nose to check for any sign of breath. _Gaara never sleeps_. There were times when he would _rest_, which consisted of him closing his eyes to anywhere from five to fifteen minutes, but resting was not _sleeping_. Temari searched his body for puncture wounds, either on his clothes or on his skin and she found one: a small red pin prick on his upper arm when she pulled up his shirt sleeve.

Someone had injected him with some kind of poison or drug.

Temari reluctantly left her brother's side to search the rooms for evidence of the culprit. Whoever it was must've been quite skilled and had packed enough tranquilizer to take down a herd of elephants, because no one ever got the best of Gaara.

And she was right.

Upon entering the kitchen, she wasn't even surprised to find the dead body. A man clad in all black was sprawled on the floor, dead. Scowling, she turned the man over and pulled off his mask. It was some nobody, like always. She didn't have to check his wounds. She knew Gaara's signature method: one swift stab of the ice pick into the spinal cord of the neck angled right into the brain. That was how most of the uninvited intruders met their death. For the most part, they were men their father sent, but sometimes there would be drunken students on the weekend looking for some cheap thrills by sneaking into Gaara's house. They did not know how territorial Gaara could be.

Seeing how swiftly the intruder was dealt with... perhaps it was not _someone_ after all, but Gaara himself. She never could understand what was going through her brother's head, but she had given up trying to understand a long time ago. There was only one thing that had to be done now, and that was to get rid of the body.

Temari dragged the body past the white tape and up two flight of stairs, carefully counting in her head the trick steps so she wouldn't accidentally blow herself up along with the rest of the building. Sometimes, she thought Gaara was way too paranoid for his own good. The house consisted of three floors, but in actuality the second and third floor did not have much separating them. The second floor was the sand pit, and the third, the dumping floor. She had no idea why Gaara had converted his house into a graveyard, but she guessed that digging a grave for every individual person that had come looking for trouble would be more trouble than it was worth.

She pushed the dead man into the sandpit and watched him sink; like pigs to the slaughter, all of them. Before, there used to be remorse and guilt; these people used to have faces. It was amazing what she could get used to, Temari thought. The body would get buried in the sand, and none would be the wiser. She wondered how many mummies lied in the sand. Too many to count.

She walked back to the room where Gaara was and waited for him to awaken, but he didn't. If Gaara was unconscious, he would've wanted her to wake him, but if he had forced himself into this unnatural slumber, then he would not. However, she couldn't take any chances knowing how dangerous it was for him to sleep. Temari went to the kitchen and filled a glass of water. When she got back, she titled the glass over his face and began to pour. The water splashed onto his face, but still he did not wake. At this point, she considered taking him to the infirmary. She couldn't simply leave him in the house all alone when he was so vulnerable.

Temari grabbed him and hoisted him onto her back. Her brother was practically skin and bones and wasn't too heavy for her. With a tired sigh, she carried him to the infirmary, knowing full well that if Gaara found out that she had carried him, he would be more than a little angry. But he was her youngest brother and as scary or psychotic she thought he was, she had made a promise to their mother to look after him. Temari signed him into the infirmary, did some paperwork, and told the nurse to send a message to their father immediately. Gaara was taken to a room, and Temari waited by his bedside for several minutes, wondering when a nurse would take a look at him, when the door opened.

"Why are you here?" Temari asked, surprised to see Orochimaru-sensei. If her day didn't start out shitty enough, she just had to run into the creepy old science teacher.

"I was around, and I noticed that he was taken here," the serpentine bastard said with that emotionless smile of his.

Orochimaru reached out a hand to touch Gaara, but Temari immediately grabbed his wrist and pushed him away. "I'm sorry Orochimaru-sensei, but try touching my brother again and I _will_ break your hand," she said, and meant it too.

"And he always said his brother was the overprotective one out of you two," Orochimaru said with an ominous chuckle.

"It has nothing to do with being overprotective. What do you want from Gaara?" Temari scowled.

"You don't know? I was one of the doctors in charge of him at the asylum, so of course, if one of my old patients suddenly ended back in the infirmary, I should be one of the first to be notified if anything out of the ordinary were to occur."

"One of his doctors huh... well you sure weren't of any help to him," Temari spat. Gaara had only been recently recovering from his trauma at the asylum, the last thing he needed was to see one of his sadistic doctors again.

Orochimaru gave her a long look and then smiled again. "Your irritation is nothing but a projection of your own self-incompetence when taking care of your younger brother, so I'll forgive you for addressing your teacher in such an impolite way. But, what I would like to know is what happened to him."

"How should I know? Maybe we could ask a real _doctor_," Temari said caustically.

Orochimaru appeared unfazed by her scathing remark. "It appears he has been sedated, but it's hard to be sure until a blood sample is drawn. May I?"

"No you may not," Temari scowled. "I'm waiting for the nurse to come in to check on him first. I would also prefer if you would leave. The last thing Gaara needs is for one of his old doctors to bother him again."

"It's a shame that we can't seem to get along."

"Yeah a real shame," Temari rolled her eyes. "Now get out before I call security."

Orochimaru frowned, but he withdrew from the room. When he was gone, Temari finally breathed easier. That guy gave her the creeps and she was sure that Gaara wouldn't have wanted to see him either.

* * *

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Hinata gasped when she found a trail of bruises leading down her neck. At first she had no idea what had caused it, but when she did make the connection, her face turned bright red as she recalled how hard he had sucked her neck. Even though it wasn't a very cold day, she was forced to wear a thin scarf to hide the love bites.

She had returned to her own room in hopes of talking to Sasuke, perhaps set up some rules about when and where they could actually show any affection towards each other, and talk about where they actually stood with each other. Waiting for him made her so on edge that any sound coming from the hallway made her almost jump out of her skin in fright.

Regardless of the fact that she was a nervous wreck from having to face both Ino and Sasuke that day, she forced herself to go to school. She had already missed out on a lot.

The classroom was as loud as ever and nothing seemed any different. Only a short meaningful look from Ino told her that she was still being blackmailed. Sasuke had not come to class yet, but he arrived seconds later. As he walked by her, the back of his fingers brushed against her hand, making her heart skip a beat. However, his expression remained nonchalant as always as he took his seat.

When class started, Kakashi left the class to their own devices to work on the festival while he napped at his desk. They had rehearsed the play often enough and spent the class period working on props and the setting while Shikamaru had a lengthy discussion with the stage crew about lighting and possibly some fog. All throughout, Ino stuck rather close to her. Every time she had the chance, Ino would talk to her and Hinata couldn't make head or tails of her over-friendliness. She had been expecting Ino to humiliate her in class, but that had yet to happen. Even when Hinata almost tripped over a crate, Ino had helped her steady her balance and told her to be careful. She had no idea what was going on.

"What's with _her_?" Sasuke asked when it was time for lunch. He had cornered her into an empty room while they were walking down the hallway.

"W-What do you mean?" she faltered, avoiding his gaze.

"You two are acting strange. Don't think I haven't noticed," he said, their faces a little too close for comfort.

"We're friends," she said.

"Since when?"

Since..." she hesitated, unsure of what kind of lie she should say. She couldn't say yesterday, and it was true that Ino had not been very friendly towards her before. "Since... I-I don't know."

He frowned and examined her face for the truth. After a minute, he sighed. "Fine, you know what? I don't really care. That's not why I pulled you in here for anyway," he said, and suddenly pressed his lips against hers right when she had opened it to ask him why he pulled her into the empty classroom. She blinked several times in surprise as he gently nibbled on her bottom lip. Her hearts did several backflips in her chest and she broke the kiss.

"What a-are you doing?"

"What am I doing..." he smirked as he kissed her again. "What _am_ I doing? I wonder..." he said, this time a little more thoughtfully, as if he was actually considering the answer to that question.

"I-I don't think we should do this at school," Hinata told him, having learned her lesson the hard way.

"Then we can do it later?" he asked, with an almost boyish grin. She couldn't really relate to his enthusiasm for all the physical contact, especially when before, he seemed less than eager to be touched. What she really wanted was to sit down and have a long chat with him. That had been the plan yesterday as well, until the kissing got in the way.

"Okay... later," she said.

His face reddened unexpectedly. He looked so adorably flustered and dazed that she didn't really know how to react except blush herself.

"Let's go back," Sasuke said, clearing his throat.

"Right now?" she asked. She still wanted to talk to him, but Sasuke left the room and she followed after him.

"Where are you going now?" he asked.

"I-I was going to get lunch."

"Let's get lunch together."

"I really want to, but um... I usually have lunch with K-Kiba-kun so I can't," she said wincing at the immediate change in his countenance at her friend's name.

"That guy again," he scoffed. "Why are you always with him?"

"I'm not always with him," she told him defensively.

"And you always talk about him," he added.

"I don't always talk about him!" She wanted to tell him that _he _was the one who talked about Kiba all the time. She didn't understand his strange fixation. "I was just... saying that I usually have lunch with him and that's why I can't-"

"Ditch him," Sasuke demanded.

"I can't do that, I already said that I would."

"You would rather spend time with _that_ guy rather than your boyfriend?"

"B-Boyfriend?" she exclaimed. "S-Since when?"

"You'd let someone who _wasn't_ your boyfriend kiss you?" he smirked. "You're not as innocent as you look. Fine, go to your precious _Kiba-kun_, but if he tries to take what's mine, he's going to regret it."

"It's not like that. Kiba-kun w-wouldn't-I mean... w-with someone like me," she stammered, finding the idea completely insane. "Besides he thinks I'm a boy..."

"Does he? He doesn't treat or look at you like one."

She paled. How could he tell? "I have to go," she said, turning away.

She quickly left and was glad that Sasuke wasn't following her. If he was, he would find out that she had been lying. It was true that she often had lunch with Kiba, and sometimes Shino would tag along, but that wasn't the case today. After hearing that Itachi had returned to school this morning, she decided to make a detour to his office instead.

Hinata walked across the campus to the administration building and was amazed to see a lot of security guards placed around the school. Itachi's office was on the second floor and unlike his office back at the city, the one he has at school was surprisingly disorganized. There were unsorted papers on his desk, piles of textbooks on the floor, and none of the books on the shelves were placed in any particular order. Itachi was sitting at his desk when she came in, flipping through a file.

"Welcome back," she said at his doorway.

"Come in and close the door," he told her, only briefly looking up from his work. She did as he said and took a seat across from his desk. "I apologize for the mess, but I haven't had much time to organize everything."

"It doesn't bother you-that everything is out of order?" she said, surprised.

"Should it?" he asked.

"You always seemed like a very organized person to me, Uchiha-sensei. Sasuke is very organized as well. He can't stand anything that's out of order."

Itachi gave her a faint knowing smile and he put down the file. "Do you really think so?"

"Think what?"

"That he's so orderly?"

"Always," she said with a sure nod.

"Your relationship with Sasuke seems to have improved since returning to the school," Itachi noted casually. She tried to fight the oncoming blush but nothing was hidden from Itachi's watchful eye. However, he did not ask for details and instead pushed the manila folder over to her.

"What's this?" she asked.

"The school file on Gaara," he said, opening the folder to reveal a basic filled out form with a photograph clipped. She looked at it curiously, pale eyes scanning over the pages. His age, date of birth, home address, and contact information. "Gaara is a special case student. He does not attend classes, is not asked to participate in school events, and lives apart from all other students. He was also given special permission to access to all school facilities which are forbidden to all students and most faculty members. The school board cleared all of the activities and any further snooping into this matter is turned down immediately. Unfortunately, there's nothing of much interest in the file. Most things are blacked out and medical records are withheld. The reason I retrieved it is because he's leaving school."

"He's leaving? Why?"

"You must've noticed the amount of security on campus. Sometime yesterday he had lost consciousness and hadn't woken up since. The guards were sent here to make sure that nothing happens to him before returning home."

"How can that be?"

"I am not sure myself. However, if he does not wake up by the time he is retrieved, I cannot get any information out of him. He will be unreachable if he returns home.

"But will he be okay? Is he badly injured?"

"Are you worried about him?" Itachi asked.

"O-Of course," Hinata replied.

"There were no fatal wounds or poisons found in his body, only a powerful sedative. It should've passed through his system by now, but he still has not regained consciousness. For that reason, his father believes it's imperative to move him to a safer place."

"What should we do then?" Hinata asked.

"I wanted to take a look at that house he lives in."

"I can go," Hinata offered, wanting to be useful.

"You should return to class," he said, more firmly this time.

In the end, she couldn't argue with him and returned to class, though all anyone would talk about was Gaara. Hinata listened carefully, trying to pick up any other bits of information she can, but all that was said turned out to be nothing more than idle gossip and speculation.

"What are you drawing?" Ino asked, taking a seat next to her on the grass during art class. The whole class was outside, sketching different types of wildlife and Hinata was focused on drawing a large fully pink cherry tree. It reminded her of the one she had at home, so she was particularly fond of it.

"A tree?" Ino said, bored. "Why not draw some flowers or something?"

"Um about the whole... pact," Hinata said quietly. "I-I don't understand what you want me to do."

"This again," Ino rolled her eyes, flipping some of her silvery blonde hair from her eyes. "I just want to be friends. You really do think the worst of me don't you? Have I done anything to you? It's not like I've pushed you around, hit you, badmouthed you, or harassed and bullied you in any way."

"Y-You're blackmailing me," Hinata reminded her with a frown.

"Yeah, but for a blackmailer, I'm pretty reasonable aren't I? I'm not asking you for money or to break up with Sasuke or to even do my homework!"

"T-That's why it's confusing."

Ino gave her an angry glare. "You really don't get anything do you? I don't know how someone like you has survived in this world so long being as slow as you are. I know exactly what type of person you are. You're one of those people who can't see anything beyond themselves. Have you ever taken a genuine interest in someone before they've taken an interest in you? Really gone after something that you wanted with any passion or drive? Do you think you're the center of the world or something? That everything you want will just naturally gravitate towards you if you wait long enough? Sorry, but that kind of attitude pisses me off. But I guess you can't help it since it's true. Even if you don't go looking for anything, it just _comes_ to you. Ugh."

Hinata was taken aback. Ino was the one blackmailing her, yet she was the one getting scolded. Why was Ino getting so angry all of a sudden? Hinata thought that she must've done something wrong.

"I-I don't know what you mean... I can't help it if t-that's how I live," Hinata murmured, looking down at her basic outline of the tree in front of her.

"Exactly my point. _You can't help it_," Ino sighed dramatically, but then she shrugged it off as if she was already over it. "Whatever. You're a rich Hyuuga so it doesn't matter. Enjoy your easy entitled life."

"My life isn't easy..." Hinata said, a bit offended by her assumption.

"Oh I'm sure it isn't, for such a spineless guy like you," Ino said mockingly. "I guess it makes sense. Sasuke was never really interested in girls. Once, last year, a naked senior climbed through the window into his bed. Sasuke locked her in his bathroom and went back to sleep. She nearly died from pneumonia. Hot assertive girls aren't his type, he's more interested in the innocent little boy look I guess."

Hinata had no idea how to respond to that, so said nothing.

"By the way, what's with the scarf? Do you have hickies?" Ino asked with a smirk. Hinata looked away uncomfortably. "You do!" Ino laughed and gave her a few slaps on the back. "You're way too easy to read! Were they from yesterday? Must've been."

"C-Can we talk about something else? Someone might hear..." Hinata flushed, looking around to make sure they were still alone in their corner of the campus.

"Fine. I'm bored of this subject anyway. Hey do you want to know something super scary? Remember how I told you that I liked those kinds of things? Well I discovered something _really _scary. The other day Sakura and I were out in the forest looking for some of these medicinal herbs-Sakura can be such an old lady sometimes, she eats them thinking it'll make her more beautiful-and as we were passing by this ravine we heard these spooky moaning noises. It was probably just the wind and stuff, but it sounded like there was a _monster_ down there. We both got so freaked out we almost peed our pants," Ino laughed.

"R-Ravine?" Hinata asked, blanching.

"Oh right, you fell into one, that's how you hurt your wrist," Ino said, giving her blue cast a tap. "Spooky huh? Maybe there's a ghost down there. It's a good thing your boyfriend was there to protect you," Ino joked.

Hinata, on the other hand, was not in a laughing mood. There was something in the ravine? She recalled going down there with Sasuke, but they had turned back before they found anything. Itachi had told her that he had combed the school and had found nothing, perhaps Orochimaru's lab...

"What's with that look on your face?" Ino asked curiously. "Don't tell me you're seriously scared now."

"No, it's nothing," Hinata said quickly and then climbing to her feet. "I-I have to go."

"Go where?" Ino asked.

"B-Bathroom," Hinata lied and quickly crossed the grass away from Ino.

Class was almost over and Kurenai-sensei wouldn't notice if she went missing in the last few minutes. She might be a little late for her next class, but she thought it was worth it if she could get this new information to Itachi. There was the chance that it really had been nothing but the wind and the overactive imaginations of two teenage girls, but she was sure that it couldn't hurt for Itachi to check it out.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice another person exiting the administration building and was nearly knocked over by something hard.

"Hey! Watch where you're going! This violin is worth more than your life!"

"Sorry!" Hinata exclaimed, realizing she had run into Temari's violin case.

"Oh, it's you," Temari said with a frown.

"Temari-san?" Hinata said, surprised to see her. "I-I heard about Gaara. Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll be fine. I guess he just had enough of everything and decided to go on a mini-vacation in his head or something. Unfortunately, that means the rest of us have to leave school with him. Where Gaara goes, Kankuro and I go."

"None of you are coming back?" Hinata asked, a little sad.

"Who knows?" Temari shrugged with a sigh. "Gaara's just like our father. The two of them do whatever the hell they want and never have the courtesy to tell anyone else what that is. I highly doubt we'll come back, not that they'd even want us back."

"Oh, I-I had been looking forward to your concert," Hinata said with a frown.

Temari laughed. "Seriously, you're like a little kitten," she said, suddenly messing up her hair as if she really were a cat. "Well, I'm off. If you're ever in town, look up the Suna Group and ask for me. I'll send you tickets to my next concert."

"Thank you," Hinata said with a little bow. "H-Have a safe trip."

Hinata went to look for Itachi's office, but he wasn't there. When asking the woman at the front desk, she found out that he was looking into the building that Gaara had left behind. Apparently there was a report that sand was seen leaking from the house and officials had been sent over to check the cause behind it. The woman at the desk told her that she tried to get them to stop, that no one was allowed to enter the house without specific permission from Gaara himself, but they wouldn't listen to her.

She hurried through the campus to the place she remembered Gaara's home to be located. There were already several people standing outside and Itachi was standing at the doorway talking to another teacher.

"Uchiha-sensei," she said approaching him. He did not look happy to see her.

"You shouldn't be here."

"I-I think I might have found something about... the case," she said the last two words very quietly.

"Tell me about it after you're done with you're done with classes."

"Hey Uchiha! We're going upstairs now!" one of the men inside shouted.

"Hold on a second!" Itachi told them, before turning back to Hinata. "Go back to class."

"I-I don't think he should go up there," Hinata said, looking a little bit horrified at the man ascending the stairs. The white tape had been cut and several men were standing around the staircase.

"Why do you say that?" Itachi asked, arching a brow.

"T-That's where... the package came from," Hinata shuddered.

"Even more the reason to go up. Hyuuga, do as I say," he said, donning the gentle and professional tone of an adult talking to a child.

The wind chime played a lonely tune, and then suddenly, a creak, a groan. The whole house seemed to shudder. Everything was silent for a moment, and then the house exploded. Hinata felt Itachi reflexively shield her body as the two of them are sent flying backwards into the dirt by a huge deafening blast that made her ears ring and her head spin. Her vision temporarily blurred as splinters of burning wood broke like fireworks before her eyes. Pain wracked her whole body, and she could only imagine how much worse it was for Itachi.

"U-Uchiha-sensei?" she groaned at the heavy weight pressing her to the ground. When her vision cleared she saw Itachi lying on top of her, but his eyes were closed and he wasn't moving. Black smoke filled the air and crackling flames engulfed the building that had once been Gaara's home. People were screaming and yelling, and she could hear the wood of the building groaning as it collapsed upon itself.

"Paramedics! Get the paramedics!" she could hear people call.

Hinata wiggled out from underneath Itachi and saw that his back was steaming from the blast. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air and she nearly fainted upon seeing the melted red and black skin. "I-Itachi?" she said in a small scared voice. She gripped his coat and shook him, but he wasn't breathing. Her heart stopped when she thought that he could be dead and it would be all her fault.

"Hyuuga, get away from there!"

It was Kakashi. He dragged Hinata away from Itachi's burned body and a bunch of paramedics and nurses immediately surrounded him. Her eyes remained fixed on Itachi, and she was unable to comprehend anything other than the fact that he was hurt and possibly even dead. She felt cold even as the angry inferno raged in front of her.

"Are you hurt Hyuuga?" Kakashi asked, shaking her shoulders to get her to concentrate on his face. She reluctantly looked away from Itachi. Kakashi looked back at her, eyes narrowed. She had never seen him so serious or angry before in her life. "Hyuuga? Answer me. Hyuuga! Hyuuga!"

Aside from a few scratches and the slight ringing in her ears, she wasn't seriously injured. _I'm perfectly fine_, she said in her head, but found that the words had not come out of her mouth. Kakashi was still calling her name, but it felt as though he was getting farther and farther away. _I'm perfectly fine Kakashi-sensei, but_... her eyes returned to Itachi.

She was vaguely aware of a tingling feeling on her face. _Oh... I'm crying_, she realized.

"Hyuuga!" Kakashi called again, shaking her some more, but she found that her mouth wouldn't open and speak even if she saw herself clearly telling Kakashi that she was fine.

For a moment, it felt as though her body and her mind had separated. She could feel her body falling over even as her mind was still convinced that she standing perfectly still. And even when everything went dark, she could still see him clearly, lying there completely still and unmoving, a fixture in her mind's eye.

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**A/N:** Phew... I think this might be the halfway point. I'll try to crank out the chapters as fast as I can because I really want to finish this monster. Dear god, I hope it doesn't take more than 50 chapters to finish this. This is going to be a legit long ass novel when it's done. Probably 300+ book pages.

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**Review?**


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